I thought 6.6.06 had gone well, before I heard that my father-in-law, Don Antonelli, had passed.

He lived in the heart of Red Sox Nation, on the South Shore and watched most every game. Don's enthusiasm for baseball went way back. He had a relative - a cousin or an uncle - I forget which, who pitched for the New York Giants. Johnny Antonelli, was a five-time All Star in fact. And in 1954, had the best ERA. Don was modest, mentioning it only once, but I went out and collected everyone of Johnny's baseball cards, displaying them proudly.

Don was a gentle, quiet man. I had only heard an outburst when he watched his beloved Red Sox team or when the Patriots were on the tube on Sundays.

He was a traditionalist. When Johnny Damon was with the Sox, Don would shout "cut you hair" at the television everytime the man entered the batter's box.

He is now in a much better place, where perhaps the Sox win every year and beat the Yankees every day.

I'm not looking for sympathy. I only write this in case over the next week or so I'm unavailable. Some things are more important than the Sox.

However, I watched Tuesday's game with as much interest as I could muster. It was a welcome distraction. The young rookie made quite an impression, taking the mound in the Bronx against a surprisingly tough first-place Yankee team. David Pauley showed guts. The look of awe, present the night before, had disappeared. He listened to his coaches and more importantly to his battery mate.

His efforts were lost. Eight innings of good pitching, only to have Rudy Seanez walk in the winning run. Sorry, Pauley.

It's pretty ironic that the very guy that Pauley showed appreciation for in his last start would be a reason of why the team lost. Somewhere, somehow, Manny got the notion that he had the speed of Seattle Slue. He doesn't and Damon tossed a throw to second with plenty of time. Damon was the happiest of the bunch.

Then in the ninth, Manny's best effort was stolen when Melky Cabrera jumped to take an obvious home run away from the Silver Slugger. Again Johnny Damon celebrated, jumping perhaps even higher than Cabrera, arms extended. Yes, he is now a blue-blooded Yankee.

Melky is sure making the most of his opportunities. He has also developed that smug Yankee expression. The "I'm better than you" attitude, whether the statement be true or not, is more than I can take.

Now the Sox are 1 1/2 games out of first and need to take the next two in the Bronx to salvage the road trip.

Tonight, Schilling faces Jaret Wright. How is it that Curt Schilling never faces Randy Johnson? I can never figure out how the schedule can be only one game off. It has to happen eventually, right?

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