The bright side

At least we're unlikely to get as caught up in a Game 7 fuss this year. All the wind went out of the Sox's sails when Schilling got hurt, and I doubt that friendly Fenway will be much better for them. Maybe we win one of the next two - two if we're really lucky. I still think we're toast, though (I would love to be wrong about it). Pedro pitched well after he settled down, and 116 pitches is warrior-esque for him, but this was likely his last start in a Boston uniform. He still wants #1 starter money, and he's not going to get that here.

In fact, the only must-sign of all the free agents I can think of is Jason Varitek. Offensively, he's streaky as anything, but he's great at handling a staff and he's the soul of this team. I'd hope to re-sign Cabrera, too - I like his defense and he's a respectable hitter. Signing Lowe would be OK, but at short money only. He has to show that he's worth more than he currently deserves - if I were in his shoes, I'd sign a one-year deal with an option for whatever I could get, then pitch my way to a bigger contract. But that probably won't happen with Scott Boras as his agent. If Pedro would accept #2 money, he'd be a definite keeper - despite his woes in September, he pitched two very solid starts in the postseason, started to show signs of more velocity, and managed to not miss a scheduled start for the first time in years. He's in that phase right now where he's learning how to get by with a little less fastball and a lot more guile - and Pedro is such a smart ballplayer that I figure it'll work out for him.

The debates are over. Yay. With any luck now, the most divisive president in modern history (and I thought Clinton was polarizing...) will be toast in three weeks. I genuinely fear what will happen to this nation in four more years of a Bush administration.