Good Sox 21, Rotten Sox 4

The Red Sox pulled off a doubleheader sweep yesterday in Chicago, whipping the White Sox 11-3 and 10-1. It was a big doubleheader for David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis. Josh Beckett won his MLB-leading 16th game, and Curt Schilling picked up a win in the nightcap. They further gained a game and a half as the Yankees lost to the Tigers, 9-6, at 3:30 AM this morning.

I caught the first game of the twinbill on the MLB package. I was subjected to the White Sox broadcasting duo of Ken Harrelson and Darrin Jackson. By the bottom of the first, I had the sound on mute. Their unabashed homerism makes me want to vomit big time. I simply don't enjoy any broadcast where the announcers are so biased and openly rooting for the home team. Granted, every home announcing team is with the team they are employed by, but these clowns go so far overboard. It is simply shameless, and the first time Harrelson called the White Sox, "the Sox," "us" and "the good guys,"I hit the mute button. (Note to Hawk: when two teams are both called The Sox, it's time to differentiate between the two. It's like calling them "Chicago" when they are playing the Cubs.)

It was a long afternoon for their team, and when I did put on the sound when the Red Sox were scoring runs, they sounded positively funereal. I was in a room on my computer without a TV during the late innings yesterday, so I had to rely on the sound of the game. During certain hits, they said almost nothing, and from the crowd cheering (the Red Sox fans, that is), I knew the Red Sox had done something good.

Thank goodness for the fans of America, the nightcap was broadcast by NESN, as will be the series finale on Sunday.

I went to KeySpan Park last night, and saw the Brooklyn Cyclones lose a doubleheader to the Oneonta Tigers. (I also got a chance to meet Kyle Petersen, the vendor who does an amazing juggling act in the park. Nice guy too. Kyle also did some juggling with his right hand as he held a case of beer on his head that he was selling with his left. That's real talent!) The Cyclones are still in first, but they played lousy in all facets of the game yesterday. The fans got a treat as Paul LoDuca, on rehab, played in both games, and homered in Game 2. I listened to both the Mets and Red Sox games on the radio, and at least that made me feel a lot better.

I actually stayed up late and saw the finale of the Yankees-Tigers game early this morning. They actually waited four hours to start, and the contest went to 11 innings before Carlos Guillen hit a three-run homer to win it, 9-6. It was amazing the number of fans who waited out the rain, and a huge number were there for the finish. (But it was borderline criminal to make the fans wait that long.) Joe Torre wanted this win badly, as he emptied out his pen after Clemens, "The Yankee Savior," got pummeled again for 6 runs in 5 innings. Once he brought Sean Henn in for the 11th I knew the game was going to end there. It completed a great night, and I turned in knowing the Red Sox lead was back up to 6 1/2 games.