What a game...these Red Sox like in 2004, are never out of it. Although, last night, I must admit they had a little help from the home plate umpire.

There were a few instances especially late in the game where for whatever reason the home plate umpire missed the call.

In the top of the eighth, Jason Varitek "tagged" out Tampa bay's Toby Hall. But from where I was sitting (comfortably on my livingroom couch) there was no contact and Hall should have been safe.

Then in the bottom of the eighth with Johnny Damon at the plate the home plate umpire called, what seemed to be a strike, a ball which awarded Damon a free pass to first. This action set the table for a brilliant come back.

Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella was furious, and perhaps rightly so. But his tirade didn't change the end result: a Red Sox win.

Now anyone can debate whether or not the Sox still would have won whether those calls were corrected, but it matters not. The Sox were the better team on Tuesday.

Now I will give credit to the Devil Rays. They too did not give up. Despte their record (55-78), this team is an offensive threat. They are sixth in runs produced this year - ahead of Minnesota, Angels and White Sox (traditionally good run producing clubs).

But the pitching is lacking. Scott Kazmir, who has ripped up the Sox in the past, did his best. In fact, he was in line for the win before Joe Borowski (who hadn't given up a run since joining the Devil Rays) took the mound.

Pitching may be lacking on the Sox as well. The Boston Herald's Tony Massarotti writes about the concern surrounding the team's pitching.

I used to try and make arrangements to head to Fenway Park for every Pedro Martinez start. I'd map out the schedule every fifth day in the hopes that I'd catch the best the Red Sox had to offer. In 2001, I was able to see 8 of Pedro's starts (two away, six at home). But looking at this staff, there is no one that I'd go through the trouble to see. Least of all Curt Schilling.

The dyed hair didn't seem to help either. The New York Times reports on the new do. It made matters worse. At the beginning of the game, I started fiddling with my television settings trying to correct the color to no avail. Apparently, he and Kevin Millar, went to the same salon or something. Maybe it's me, but middle-aged men with dyed blonde hair just don't cut it.

At the start of the game, Curt Schilling struggled - allowing five runs to score before the middle of the second inning.

These struggles have caused the media and fans to question his health, etc. Has he lost a step? I think so. Will he get it back? Only time will tell. The Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy writes Schilling's not the same. An understatement for sure. His pitch count was extremely high. I'm awfully glad Terry Francona did not allow him to go beyond the sixth.

Perhaps he needs to expend more pitching when warming up. Something has got to be done to correct Schilling's woes. It's almost unbearable and I miss Pedro.

But the biggest highlight of the game for me wasn't Trot Nixon's game-winning single or his putout at home. Instead it was seeing Westbrook's Little League team in the stands with Eric Frede.

As it turns out the team was able to spend some time with the Red Sox players and was honored by those in the stands and the Red Sox organization for their World Series participation. These kids deserve the homage too. They represented baseball, the state and of course the city of Westbrook extremely well.

Reid Coulombe spoke as eloquently as I've heard an 11-year-old speak about standing on Fenway's green next to his favorite player, Manny Ramirez. You could feel his passion; hear his excitement. The Portland Press Herald's Steve Solloway writes more about the Little Leaguers.

Oh, how I love this game. Baseball and the Sox create lifelong memories I, and they, will never forget.

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