On Friday, I made my way to my first live game of the year. My beautiful wife, exceptional daughter (Ruby), Sesame Street's "Ernie" (my daughter's seemingly favorite toy), and the "Life is Good" cap also made the trek.

We sat in Section 17-grandstands, set back between homeplate and the Red Sox dugout. Terrific seats, surrounded by even better fans. Not sure, if it was my daughter's presence but the crowd shared many smiles with me (us). It is Friendly Fenway, if your a Sox fan.

Well, this may be a surpirse to you, but apparently one can not have a pet squirrel in the state of Maine. Well, at least with out the proper licenses and permits. Bummer. Even without the squirrel, the Red Sox won again Thursday. This cap is pretty powerful stuff.

Bronson Arroyo was spectacular. His curve was dropping off the table leaving many a Tiger shaking their heads. It was something to watch. The Boston Herald writes the Cagey Arroyo had Tigers by the tail. You can find the greatest puns in sports headines.

Arroyo has earned my respect. Granted the Tigers aren't the scariest team, but Arroyo carries himself well. He's got great control evidenced by his very respectful 1.24 WHIP. CTnow.com also praised the pitcher's outing (Arroyo looks right at home) His record would be better if he had some run support earlier. Plus the outing against Tampa Bay should have been managed differently. He still has a shot at 10 wins for the season.

I had the pleasure to watch parts of the New York/Cleveland game Wednesday in which the ground crew and some players tried to coral a particularly agile squirrel that had made its way onto Jacob's Field. Watching five guys scrambling to catch the bushy-tailed rodent was great fun. In the end the squirrel and Cleveland won its battle. The Plain Dealer writes how the Indians "squirrel out of skid." SportsIllustrated.com headline read "Indians to Yanks: Nuts!

While the squirrel may have brought luck to the Indians, it did more for the Red Sox. The Yankees loss moved the Red Sox closer to the AL East division leaders. 5 1/2 games is all that separates the first and second place teams. The Red Sox are surging. The Yankees are falling. Life continues to be good.

I guess George Steinbrenner's meeting with his front office didn't change a thing. ESPN's Bob Klapisch reported Wednesday that the shrinkage worries the boss. The Yankees are having the wind sucked from their sails.

The Times reports that even with the pieces in place the Yankees slip up.

Who's the best pitcher on the Yankee staff? El Duque, go figure. Orlando Hernandez hasn't lost a game since returning to the rotation July 11. His team has won eight of his nine starts. Pretty impressive. The New York Times reports that Hernandez is moving up on the depth chart. If he is the star pitcher, I can't wait for the Sox to meet the Yanks again. Although they seem to win the games Hernandez pitches, he only has four quality starts.

At this rate Boston has a real shot at winning the division. It is possible, albeit not likely. I'm still holding out hope that Boston can hang tough and sweep the Yankees in September. They play the Yankees six more times.

Why am I spending all this time writing about the Yankees? Because they are weak. A-Rod is hitting around .204 with men in scoring position. Jeter has been slumping and the pitching is still a big question mark. The only guy that is doing anything is Gary Sheffield (32HR, 98R, 95RBI) and he may retire at the end of the season due to a bad shoulder. Even with his bad shoulder, he is still hitting the cover off the ball.

Who else is hitting the cover off the ball? The Red Sox. As a team, Boston had 93 hits in six games on the road. Manny and Ortiz had another back-to-back home run Wednesday night. Lovely. The two star Red Sox players are 1-2 on the home run leader board as well. You can't beat that. They are not the only contributors for sure. There's Jason Varitek, Kevin Millar, Bill Mueller and Johnny Damon. Even with Damon's success at the plate, the Boston Globe reports, Damon is fighting the effects of an early-season concussion.

Like a lingering headache, the Toronto Sun writes that the Sox won't go away. Apparently after watching this team in Toronto, Ken Fidlin feels the AL East chase is about to heat up. Welcome to the party, Ken.

The Blue Jays certainly did help. The Toronto Star reports that Josh Towers witnessed the "worst execution of pitches (he's) ever seen" and they were his own. Towers failed to win his 10th game of the season. Too many high strikes.

Curt Schilling earned his 16th win, second to only Oakland's Mark Mulder (17). it was his first time beating the Blue Jays this year. Schilling is having a great year and should be considered a contender for the AL Cy Young. It is a bit of a longshot since Mulder and Minnesota's Johan Santana have pitched a tad bit better. Schilling's next start will be the truest test for Schilling, according to the Boston Globe.

But we may be getting ahead of ourselves again.

I knew Ted Lilly was going to be tough but who would have guessed a complete-game, 13K shutout? Wow. I've always liked Lilly, but not against the Sox. In fact, there have been at least three occasions this season when I have cheered for him. Okay, so those cheers came at expense of the Yankees. Still I cheered. Monday night, there was nothing to cheer about.

Lilly was masterful, even better than Pedro, who had 10Ks over seven innings. In fact according to the Toronto Star Pedro even called Lilly "Little Picasso." A masterpiece indeed. With a stroke, he painted high-arching curve-balls, followed by striking straight lines - baffling hitters with each pass. When it was over the Red Sox were left seeing colors.

Not to worry, before the paint dries, the Sox will be back in the foreground. While the Sox are in Canada keep an eye on Alexis Rios. This rookie has speed and a what could be a promising future. The Toronto Sun thinks Rios is the real deal. As a part-time player he has done well, but do not expect him to be an All Star anytime soon. Speed can only get you so far in the bigs, especially in this era.

The Red Sox do not seem to play well after flying to the new city. At least before playing in Chicago the team got a day off (Thursday). The Boston Globe accompanied Manny on his day off to a garage in Illinois. Manny was getting a progress report on a surprise birthday present for his father. So much for the surprise. The Globe even wrote what color the present was going to be.

It's nice to see, read and hear Manny again. The media has certainly missed him and so have the fans. We know very little about the RBI king. I hope to see more interaction with him in the future. He's obviously enjoying himself. With 250 million I would too.

Manny's production will certainly help get Boston into the playoffs. In the article, it certainly reads like he is fully expecting to be there. According to the Republican's Garry Brown, having "Bash-Brothers" (Ortiz and Manny) may be a curse. Whenever I hear "Bash-Brothers" I can't help but think of the Oakland A's, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire. Those Goliaths beat Boston in the 1990 ALCS. So I'll take my chances with this power duo. How could one find fault with having Ortiz and Manny in the lineup, geez?

Even with the success of the Boston's three and four hitters, New Yorkers contend there is no reason to panic. The New York Times' Murray Chass writes that only once have the Red Sox come back from a deficit after Aug. 15 to win the pennant from the Yankees (Highlanders). While this may be true I think there is some concern. Why else would the New York Post report that Steinbrenner has asked the Yankee front office to come to Tampa? I do not think he is going to congratulate them on the recent win over Cleveland. I'd love to be a fly on the wall for that meeting. I'm sure the Boss isn't happy. This could well be Cashman's last hoorah.

Yes, the pennant race is back on. To help fans keep track of it all, RIOT has a close eye on the playoff race numbers. It's starting to get fun again. Perhaps I should take another vacation.

There are a few factors that have figured into the recent surge by the Red Sox

1. I went on vacation. Whenever I go camping, I lose track of my Sox for a few days. It gives the team time to regroup before I rip into them again. This past week was no different. A little separation always seems to help both of us.

2. I'm still wearing the "Life is Good" cap. Since I have placed it on my head the Sox have won 8 of their last 10 games. To top it off a colleague at the paper actually played golf with the owner of "Life is Good" this past weekend - a sign? Who knows, but I will continue to wear the cap until two consecutive losses.

3. The Yankees are beginning to come down to earth. Up to this point New York has played over its head, while the Red Sox have played exactly how they should. This is starting to get interesting. The Yankees now have someone in their rear view mirror. For fear of a jinx, I will not say anything more.

Baseball players are a superstitious lot. Some do not touch the foul line. Some tap their toes a certain amount of times in the batters box. Some wear the same undershirt. Kissing, sleeping and talking to bats is not uncommon. Ted Williams hand-picked the "right" wood to make his bats. Then, of course there's talk of "The Curse." I too have become a little superstitious.

On Tuesday I was in a rush and could not find my Red Sox cap before departing for work. I wear it religiously - most everyday, most everywhere - except for church on Sunday. But Tuesday, I was in a rush. So I grabbed my wife’s “Life is Good” cap. It’s a little small, but what the heck. I went to work. After work I played poker and won $60. The Red Sox also won. I wore it on Wednesday - another Red Sox victory. Needless to say, Thursday, same cap, same result.

I think I might be on to something here. I will continue to wear this hat until the Red Sox lose two consecutive games. Here are some other baseball superstitions Factmonster.com shares. Psychology in Sports offers some insight, albeit little, into baseball's superstitions. Had I only known it was that simple.

Cap aside, these are the games the Red Sox have to win.

I'm in a state of melancholy. My team's stock has certainly dropped. Like Kevin Millar, I've got to complain about the lineup changes too. Who in the world would hit Millar third? He offers no protection and his hitting below .300. Typically this spot goes to your best hitter. If Millar is the Red Sox' best hitter we have bigger problems than I thought.

Regardless of batting order and other "controversies," the team should have been 8-3 during the roadtrip. The Sox lost two of those games by one run.

Could it be te lack of a bullpen? Not necessarily. Lack of confidence? Maybe.

Due in part to the arrival of my beautiful daughter, I have not yet witnessed a Red Sox game live this year. I miss the atmosphere, the noise, the fans. However, there seems to be less distractions watching a game at my home. Sometimes the events off the field in the stands can overshadow the game.
Perhaps the manager and coaches were watching something else during Wednesday night's game.

I watched the game as I often do and make comments as I often do about the performances to my wife and child. With my wife busy, my daughter and I watched the game together. Although she is all but 10 weeks old, she enjoys watching the movements on the screen. And she's beginning to understand Daddy's frustration.

So as I watched Bronson Arroyo in the sixth inning, I mentioned to my daughter that he looked tired when facing the last batter in the sixth (Rocco Baldelli). He was off the plate by a mile and on a couple of occassions, (Baldelli) helped him out chasing the bad pitch. Arroyo got lucky when Baldelli popped up. I told my daughter how I expected any moment for action to begin in the bullpen. "It's likely we won't see him in the seventh," I told her. Until that point Arroyo had pitched masterfully. He was simply brilliant. One earned run, one walk and four hits allowed. Beautiful. One of his better games.

But to my amazement Arroyo was again on the mound in the seventh.

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.

The marriage between the Red Sox and Nomar Garciaparra has ended, due to irreconcilable differences. I'm sad. I've watched Nomah play in Fenway for the past seven years. He has epitomized Boston and the Red Sox. He has faced and overcome adversity. He was a professional. He played with style, making the most difficult play seem easy. He had tremendous range and played with heart. His work ethic was never in question.

I would have enjoyed watching him play in Boston for his entire career. At the end we would have all cheered as his No. 5 was placed on the right field wall with 1, 4, 8, 9, and 27. All former Red Sox greats. In my mind Nomar still is one of Boston's greats.

I'm not the only one saddened by the move. MLB.com reports players sad to see Nomah go. Clubhouse tensions, huh?

Perhaps the tensions were in the front office. Boston.com writes about the "Tale of two cities." The article describes the relationship over the past few months.

Besides the players and myself, few did not welcome the change. The Boston Herald's Gerry Callahan says there was "No room for Nomar's negativity. The Globe's Dan Shaughnessy wrote "it was time for him to go."