Be it ever so self-evident...

Sometimes I have a thought or an idea that makes me feel like a deeply profound genious. Most of the time this thought is probably one that has been thought and stated by millions of people before me. Most of the time the thought it so self-evident, most people don't even bother expressing it or even teasing it out from the rest of their congnitive flow and giving it special recognition. Nevertheless, when I have these thoughts, I like to pause and hold them up like some sort of zen object.

My most frequent thought of this type is "hey- I bet yawning is some sort of automatic response of the brain to not getting enough oxygen." I never read that anywhere nor have I ever heard a scientist or doctor say that. You probably all knew this or learned this. I figured it out for myself, and whenever I think that thought, it makes me feel brilliant.

Today, my genious thought is a baseball thought, and it is this: it is really good to get a win like the Sox got last night. A solid 3-2 win, with your starting pitcher (Schilling) going seven high-wire innings, your reliever (Delcarmen) pitching a good 8th to bridge to your closer (guess) who strikes out two in a perfect 9th for the save. I suppose I could add that Papi hits two solo shots, but this only helps the warm feeling incrementally. Consider the situation that the Sox found themselves in last night, and this win just feels good.

After a very uninspired 3-4 homestand that included the loss of both Trot Nixon and Jason Varitek, the shaky return of David Wells and a plummet out of first place, the Sox could have really used a solid win. Although Javy Lopez didn't do much in the game yesterday, having him around to strap on the tools after Mirabelli tweaked his ankle early on in the game was downright salvific. Ever since he caught on those great Braves teams of the mid 1990's, I've liked Javy. He's got one of the most genuine and charming smiles in baseball. Last night, as he took off the mask and strode toward Papelbon to congratulate him on the save, he smiled. It wasn't a huge grin, but it was more than enough to make me feel instantly that things would be better. Javy is going to prove to have been an important pickup. I realize that trading away Adam Stern from Pawtucket really puts a crimp in the chances of having the Sox field the first major-league outfield with Jewish roots (Kapler-Stern-Youkilis), it's a pretty reasonable price to pay for what Javy can bring.

Looking forward, this is perfect time for the Sox to hit the road and take some deep, brain-feeding breaths. The next eight games feature the trade-deadline-depleted Devil Rays, the awful Royals, and the continually disappointing Orioles. It is another self-evident statement that the Sox need to fatten themselves and their record up on these teams. Minimally, a 6-3 road trip is needed at this point. 7-2 or 8-1 would be even better. Even with the injuries, even with the shaky pitching, these are not unattainable goals. On the contrary, I think I'd be quite disappointed if we doing pick up a game or two in the wild card or division this week.

It's Saturday morning at 6:00. I'm still tired from watching "For Love of the Game" late last night. As sappy as it was, I had to watch the whole thing. I should shut up and go back to bed. Or is that too obvious?