Welcome to Lester City

Jon Lester continued to strengthen his case for the AL Cy Young Award last night, with a devastating performance against the Seattle Mariners.

Lester is red hot right now, getting his 17th win of 2010, and he still has a good shot at winning 20. He went eight innings last night, striking out 12, allowing just one run in the 5-1 Red Sox triumph.

Lester went over 200 mark in strikeouts, and he's now at 208. He also made some team history as well. He became just the fifth Sox pitcher to have back-to-back 200K seasons, joining Cy Young, Roger Clemens, Smokey Joe Wood and Pedro Martinez in accomplishing that feat.

Lester also became the first Sox lefty to strikeout 10 or more in four straight games. He also became the first AL pitcher to turn that trick since Johan Santana did it in 2004. Only Pedro Martinez has ever struck 10 or more in five straight games for the Sox.

The kids from Pawtucket did the offensive damage last night. Daniel Nava and Lars Anderson had RBI doubles, and Ryan Kalish blasted a two-run shot that iced the game late. Daniel Bard finished up in the ninth.

New York lost to Tampa Bay last night in 11 innings, so the Rays took over first place by a half-game. Anyone else notice New York is free falling right now, having dropped 7 of 8? The Sox trail them by 7 with 18 to go in the Wild Card race. They still have six games between them later this month and in early October.

Yeah, I know. I'm dreaming. But weren't the Mets up by 7 with 17 to go in 2007?

0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 Correct. You Decide.

This Tuesday night's Trivia will feature as the Special Category the September edition of "Q Tip Trivia," where I ask you seven questions about general knowledge that can have anywhere from none to four correct answers. But of course, you have to be careful, as any incorrect choices nullify the entire answer and no get no points.

The Q Train lightning round will feature the return of "1-10 Trivia." There will be ten questions where each answer will be a number between 1 and 10. (There will be no repeats.)

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
The Staples Center is an arena located in what US city?

We will begin the night at 9 PM, so I hope many of you will come for a great night of Trivia on Tuesday.

Bats Bail Out Beckett

Going into Sunday's game the Oakland A's had one of MLB's best records in the daytime, and the Red Sox had one of the worst. So what happens?

The Sox win.

It didn't look that way early on, as Josh Beckett completely lost his command, as he walked four batters in the third, giving Oakland a 1-0 lead. (Good Lord, yet another bases loaded walk.) The damage was minimum, but they scored two more in the fifth to make it 3-0.

The Red Sox finally got on the board in the sixth, and scored four runs, all with two outs. J.D. Drew, who got nailed overrunning first base on a single earlier in the game, doubled in two, and Ryan Kalish hit a pinch-hit double that brought in two to make it 4-3.

Beckett went the first six innings, but the bullpen pitched the best. Scott Atchison and Jonathan Papelbon retired the final nine hitters in order, with Pap getting save number 36.

The Red Sox trail Tampa Bay by 7 1/2 in the Wild Card, and it would take a stunning miracle for the Red Sox to catch them. Right now, I would just settle for a dignified finish to 2010.

A sweep was avoided in Oakland, and now the Sox head for Seattle with three with the Mariners to conclude the west coast trip.

Tough Day

Didn't see any of Notre Dame's 28-24 loss to Michigan yesterday, but Michigan QB Denard Robinson was a one-man wrecking crew, accounting for 505 yards of offense, including an 87-yard rush for a TD in the second quarter, which was the longest run from scrimmage in the history of Notre Dame Stadium.

Is that really true? No running back has ever run for at least a 90-yard TD in that fabled place? I was shocked to hear that.

Anyway, ND is now 1-1 and faces Michigan State in East Lansing next weekend.

I got home last night to see another Red Sox defeat in Oakland. They left runners everywhere, including the bases loaded in the first. John Lackey pitched six shutout inning before allowing 3 runs in the seventh, and the A's went on to a 4-3 win. The season can't end soon enough for me.

Before I hit the sack, I saw Mariano Rivera's meltdown in Texas, as he walked two batters, and the so-called greatest closer of all-time gave up a game-tying double to Ian Kinsler, then hit Jeff Francoeur with the bases loaded on the first pitch to give the Rangers the victory.

And, I was at Ground Zero yesterday. It was another difficult, emotional day, with a very large turnout on a beautiful day.

I was proud to be there.

3000

This is the 3,000th post of The Mighty Quinn Media Machine, and I realized back in July that we were approaching an historic number. And of course, I knew it could only be about one subject, and one subject only.

And it could only happen on this day.

For the ninth consecutive year, I will be at Ground Zero this morning for the ceremonies to remember the victims of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center of September 11, 2001. I will be there with my friend Deborah, who has been with me at every one as well, and it's been a blessing that she's a part of my life. For us both, it is a sacred day at a sacred place, to remember our dear and lovely friend Joyce Carpeneto, as well as the other beautiful souls who were taken from us that terrible morning.

September 11, 2001 completely changed my life. It's like a great dividing line, between everything that happened before it, and everything that happened after.

I can't be any other place in the world on the morning of September 11th but in Lower Manhattan at Zuccotti Park, where the ceremonies have now been held the last four years, after the construction really got going at the actual site. I've always said that if I am 10,000 miles away from New York on September 10th, I will be in Manhattan the next day. It's like a holy day of obligation.

And I will be there every September 11th for the rest of my life.

There's been plenty of controversy at the site this year, but today is not a day for that. Today it should just be a day to remember the victims. Period.

Here are my previous September 11 tributes from the past four years from my blog:
2006: "Forever Missed. And Forever Loved."
2007: "Never Forget. Ever."
2008: "We Can Be The Ones Who Remember"
2009: "The Most Sacred Of All Days"

And I will conclude this post with these two quotes:
"Good days, bad days, but never a boring day on this job. You do what God has called you to do. You show up, you put one foot in front of the other, and you do your job, which is a mystery and a surprise. You have no idea, when you get in that rig, what God is calling you to. But He needs you, so keep going. Keep supporting each other. Be kind to each other. Love each other. Work together. You love the job. We all do. What a blessing that is." --Father Mychal Judge, dedicating a firehouse on September 10, 2001, one day before his death

"It's been 233 days since September 11th. I've been to 28 funerals and memorial services and I should have gone to more, but some days I just couldn't face it. 233 days and in a few weeks it's going to be over. Everyone and everything that was going to be found will have been found. Won't be any place to dig. And then we are just going to have to walk away. And there will be a park with a marble monument with names that will slowly stop seeming like real people. Soon enough it will be just us. We will be the ones who remember. That's what we can do to honor the people we loved and lost. We can be the ones who remember." --Bruce Weitz, from the TV series "Third Watch," May 6, 2002

Say a prayer for those lost nine years ago today. And especially for their loved ones who had their lives shattered and are trying to move on without them.

We love you, Joyce. And all the 3000 who were taken from us.

We'll never forget. Ever.

Rust Shows As Vikings Come Up Short

As soon as I saw the Vikings would be playing their opener on September 9th in New Orleans a few months back, I didn't have a good feeling about it.

But it was a tough, grind-it-out opener to the 2010 season, but the Vikings ultimately came up short to the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints, 14-9, in the Superdome last night.

At first it looked like it might be a blowout from the first New Orleans drive, as Drew Brees attacked the Vikings defense with crisp passes, ending with a 29-yard pass to Devery Henderson in just over two minutes to put the Saints up 7-0. The Vikings got the ball and went three and out, and I thought this was really going to be a long night.

But the defense got its bearings. They ultimately held New Orleans to just the two TDs, the lowest scoring output in a victory in the Sean Payton-led Saints era (since 2006).

The Saints also played good defense as well, and held Adrian Peterson to 87 yards rushing on 19 carries. Brett Favre actually looked pretty good in the first half, but came out looking rather rusty in the second half, as his first seven passes in the third quarter were incomplete. He was 15 of 27 for 171 yards on the night, which included a 20-yard TD pass to Visanthe Shiancoe with 50 seconds left in the half that gave the Vikings a 9-7 lead (the extra point was blocked).

The Vikings turned the ball over just once, when Favre was picked off by Jonathan Vilma on an ill-advised short pass in the second quarter.

The Saints got a TD with 6 minutes left in the third, when Pierre Thomas went in from one yard. It was the final score of the game, but last year's hero, kicker Garrett Hartley, missed two rather makeable field goals that would have given New Orleans a bigger lead.

Overall the Vikings looked rusty on offense, and you have to wonder if the loss of Sidney Rice for half the season will be greater than originally feared. The defensive line recorded just one sack, and Jared Allen seemed to be AWOL all night.They now have nine days to get ready for their next game, which will be their home opener against Miami at the Meterodome on September 19th.

And a note to the Saints: you don't put up three banners when you win a Super Bowl. Forget the "NFC South" and the "NFC Champions" banners. You did better than that and you won the ultimate prize. Let that one stand alone. And why do the NFL champions insist on calling themselves "World Champions?" It's a misnomer. "Super Bowl" or "NFL" champions makes much more sense.

Showing Some Fight, and Some Dignity

It was a strange series the Red Sox just concluded with the Tampa Bay Rays: three straight blowouts.

After the Sox laid it on hot and heavy Monday night, they took it on the chin Tuesday night, as Daisuke Matsuzaka went back to his nibbling routine and got burned for eight earned runs, and an 14-5 ass whipping. (I figured we'd see righty specialist Bill Hall before the game was all over.)

And it looked like it was going to continue on Wednesday night, as Tampa Bay jumped out to a 4-0 lead by the second. But the Sox still showed they have some fight and some dignity, as they came marching back, courtesy of two Marco Scutaro home runs (and four hits), and solo shots by David Ortiz, Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre.

The Red Sox coasted to an 11-5 win, with Tim Wakefield getting his 4th win of 2010, his 179th in a Sox uniform, and he also became the oldest pitcher in team history to get a victory.

Josh Reddick had three hits, and Lars Anderson got the first two of his MLB career, and his first RBI as well.

The Red Sox now trail Tampa Bay by 6 1/2 with 22 games to play. I know I'm dreaming...

And if the Mets don't have enough problems. Three players skipped a visit with the injured troops at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington DC on Tuesday. The three, Carlos Beltran, Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez, felt they had better things to do. Perez and Castillo are goners after this year anyway, but Beltran has a totally untradeable contract. The Mets are very angry with the three, and doing something like this makes a bad season look even worse.

Castillo's explanation for his absence was extremely lame and inexcusable:

"Sometimes when you see people with no legs and no arms, when they go to fight for us and they're in the hospital like that, I don't like to see that."

I'm sure our returning injured vets really appreciate that sentiment from some overpaid, pampered athlete. Castillo ought to be ashamed of himself. And hopefully he's an ex-Met after this season.

Last Sunday On Governor's Island

Here's a photo of Yours Truly from last Sunday's 5K WTC Run To Remember on Governor's Island. It was taken as I was reaching the finish line by Keelin Daly of the Stamford Advocate. I had spoken to her and a reporter from the newspaper named Kate King (yes the press always finds me!) just as I was walking to the starting line for the race. My thanks to both of them.

It was a gorgeous day in New York, and I was so proud to have taken part in the run.

And on the far left, you can see the Statue of Liberty in the background.

Here's the story of the run from GreenwichTime.com.

Trivia Q&A: September 7

I wasn't anticipating a big crowd on Tuesday night, as I thought the completion of the Labor Day weekend on Monday night would keep some folks away. But we had 17 teams come out, and I was pleased to see so many regulars take part as well.

The scores were a bit low for Name the Decade Trivia (a little too difficult maybe?), but they picked up for Celebrity Real Names Trivia, as those scores were pretty solid.

The top five teams were just three points apart going into IQ Trivia, and this was a rather difficult round. But we had a rare event happen last night, as we had a team outside the top 5 have the best round of any team and leap frog over everyone and win. The team of Come To Think Of It, I Have Seen Something Like The Mighty Quinn go from being tied for 7th place and win the night, getting 3 of the 5 IQ Trivia questions right and win by two points.

Nice job by Rob and Melinda getting into the winner's circle!

Current Events
1. This Pacific nation was hit by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake last Saturday, which caused some damage to buildings but no reported deaths.
2. Three cricket players from this Asian country were suspended last week after being accused of fixing matches for money and are facing a possible lifetime ban.
3. This web site closed its adult services section last weekend after attorney generals from 17 states said it couldn't adequately block ads promoting prostitution and child trafficking.
4. This rock star said in a recent interview that it's unlikely he will ever reunite with his classic rock band mates, because he says he "no longer has anything in common with them."
5. This man, who has just written his memoirs, was greeted at his first public book signing in Dublin by protesters, some of which hurled shoes and eggs at him.
6. This Hollywood star requested a Bahamas judge drop the charges against two people accused of trying to extort money from him last year.
7. Former ELO cellist and founding member Mike Edwards was killed in a freak accident last Friday when this tumbled down a hill onto a road in Devon, England and crashed into his van, killing him instantly.

Name The Decade Trivia
1. America launches its first manned mission into space.
2. The iPod is first introduced to the American public.
3. Iraq invades Kuwait, which leads to the first Gulf War several months later.
4. Baseball has its first players strike, with the first week of games that year canceled.
5. The 18th amendment to the US Constitution, which brings prohibition to the US, goes into affect.
6. The Communists take over China, forcing Chiang Kai-Shek to exile in Taiwan.
7. MTV makes its debut, with The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" the first video shown.

Celebrity Real Name or Not Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. John Grisham
2. Sylvester Stallone
3. Neil Diamond
4. Anne Rice
5. Sandra Bullock
6. Barry Manilow
7. Kate Winslet
8. David Bowie
9. Christina Aguilera
10. Michael Caine

General Knowledge
1. In which country is Stonehenge located? ( 1 pt)
2. Which sport is the Ryder Cup given for? ( 1 pt)
3. In which sea would you find the Cayman Islands? ( 1 pt)
4. Who is the author of the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey? ( 2 pt)
5. Syd Barrett founded what rock band? ( 2 pt)
6. Which is the most common element found on the sun? ( 2 pt)
7. "Saturday Night Live" broke what TV show's record this year with its 126th Emmy nomination? ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. What US president won back-to-back elections with an Electoral College score totaling 1014-62? ( 3 points)
2. Shirley Dinsdale was the very first winner of what award, in 1949? ( 5 points)
3. What pop singer currently has the most followers on Twitter, over 5.7 million? ( 4 points)
4. Where on the human body would you find the glabella? ( 4 points)
5. What profession appeared in more Monty Python sketches than any other, with a total of 51 appearances to its credit? ( 4 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. New Zealand; 2. Pakistan; 3. Craigslist; 4. Robert Plant; 5. Tony Blair; 6. John Travolta; 7. A giant bale of hay.

Name The Decade Trivia
1. 1960s (1961); 2. 2000s (2001); 3. 1990s (1990); 4. 1970s (1972); 5. 1920s (1920); 6. 1940s (1949); 7. 1980s (1981).

Celebrity Real Name or Not ("The Q Train")
1. yes; 2. yes; 3. no (Noah Kaminsky); 4. no (Howard Allen O'Brien); 5. yes; 6. no (Barry Pinkus); 7. yes; 8. no (David Jones); 9. yes; 10. no (Maurice Micklewhite).

General Knowledge
1. England; 2. golf; 3. Caribbean; 4. Homer; 5. Pink Floyd; 6. hydrogen; 7. "ER."

IQ Trivia
1. Ronald Reagan; 2. Emmy Award; 3. Lady Gaga; 4. face; 5. police officer.

Finally, Some Life

The Red Sox won't die just yet, as they hit Randy Niemann's kid Jeff for six runs in the first two innings and were on their way to an rather easy 12-5 win at Fenway on Labor Day Night. (Or should that just be called Labor Night?) Niemann has been simply awful since he returned from the DL, and the Sox took advantage of him on Monday night.

Jon Lester won his 16th game, and still has a shot at a 20-win season if he can run the table the rest of the way. Lester looked shaky in the first, giving up a run to Tampa Bay while throwing nearly 30 pitches. But he settled in, and David Ortiz got the Sox a first inning lead they would not give up, belting a two-run shot down the right field line. Adrian Beltre then blasted one into the Monster Seats to make it 3-1.

The Sox added three more in the second, and put the game on ice in the fourth when Ryan Kalish hit his second grand slam of his young career to make it 11-2. Lars Anderson made his MLB debut at first, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

Lester went six and allowed just two runs in getting the victory, while striking out ten. But Robert Coello, making his MLB debut following Lester, walked in two runs, and Dustin Richardson walked in another in the seventh. That makes 7 walked in in the last 2 games.

The Sox now trail TB by 6 1/2 in the Wild Card. The funeral hasn't begun just yet.

And off the subject slightly. I have the MLB Extra Innings and enjoy it very much. Can anyone tell me what they have against the San Diego Padres? They bumped them off the package once last week, and tonight's game against the Dodgers is not on, as well as Tuesday night's game against LA. (The MLB Network is showing part of the game right now as I right this.)

I have never been able to figure out exactly the reasons why the games they don't carry are. They carry EVERY game by the Red Sox, Mets and Yankees (that aren't carried by Fox or ESPN), but the Padres seem to get bumped a number of times.

That's no way to treat a first-place team!

Know Your Stars' Aliases This Week

This week's Trivia Night on Tuesday will feature "Name The Decade Trivia" as the special category. I will give you a famous event from the recent past and you will tell me which decade it occurred in ('50s, '70s, 2000s, that sort of thing). It will also be worth double points, as if you can give me the exact year for each, you will get another point as well.

The Q Train lightning round will be "Celebrity Real Names Trivia." I will give you the names of ten current celebrities and you have to tell me if it is their real name or a fake (stage) name.

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
In what country is Stonehenge located?

We will get going at 9 PM. I hope you all are enjoying your Labor Day weekend, and I hope many of you can top it off by coming out for a night of Trivia on Tuesday.

The Spaceman's Back In The Win Column Again

Bill Lee made his return to professional baseball on Sunday, as a member of the independent Brockton Rox, and pitched splendidly.

The Spaceman, who is now 63, pitched 5 1/3 innings against the Worcester Tornadoes, giving up just two runs on five hits, struck out one while walking none. He threw 63 pitches as the Rox got a 7-3 win.

My buddy Jere was at the game yesterday, and has some great pictures of the game, like the one in this post. BTW, did you know that the Worcester manager is our old friend Rich Gedman?

Well, now you do.

Congratulations, Spaceman!

479

I did the 5K WTC Run To Remember yesterday on Governor's Island, and it couldn't have been a nicer day. The temperature was around 70 game at race time, which was about 10 AM.

I did some race preparation earlier in the week, running about have the length of the race, and I was still feeling it going into yesterday. (As you can tell, I am no running professional.) But I decided to suck it up and get out there and run the course.

I took the ferry over from Manhattan, and about 1,000 people took part. I really didn't know anyone else running, but I did have the pleasure of meeting Mary Fetchet, who runs the Voices of September 11th, the group I was running for. I told her about the funds I was able to raise, and she was pleased to hear that. I also talked to a couple of reporters from Connecticut who were covering the day. (The press always finds me!)

I was pleasantly surprised to run into Christina, one of my Trivia Night regulars, who was also running yesterday, and her father. It was nice to know I was wasn't running totally alone.

I made a decision not to try to top the number I put up last year, and that I was going to take it easy and just have a good run. I put on the iPod and hit the road. And it went really smoothly. I stopped twice for water, and the course was really nice, mostly through the tree-lined section of the island. (It was more in the open spaces last year.)

When I got to the finish line, I could see that my time was about a minute longer than last year, and that was fine. When I crossed, the race's host announced each finisher's name. When I finally stopped, I felt a thousand times better than I did last year, and I really felt like I could keep going. Out of 626 runners who took part in the 5K event, I finished 479th.

Nothing to shout from the mountains about, but I'm still glad I did it.

Awards were handed out after the race, and the winners' times were about half the time I finished in. But I was really proud to have taken part in the run for the second straight year, and I'll be back again next year. And I thank you all from the bottom of my heart who supported me and helped me raise some money for a very worthwhile cause.

And you have until September 12th if you'd like to make a donation. Please follow this link to do so.

Your New AL Leader In Blown Saves

It is now seven, by future ex-Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon.

Yet another embarrassing 9th inning performance by Papelbon, in flushing away a three-game home series to Chicago. And it was capped off by some stiff named Robert Manuel (not to be confused with Richard Manuel, who committed suicide many years ago by hanging himself) who walked in the two winning runs after Papelbon coughed up the lead. The last four Chicago hitters who got on all reached on walks. Pathetic.

Papelbon was charged with all four runs in the ninth. He didn't cover second base when Carlos Quentin saw it was uncovered on his hit to center, and took it. Frankly, Papelbon simply can't carry Mariano Rivera's jockstrap right now.

White Sox 7, Red Sox 5.

"No, we don't want to win this game. Here, you guys take it."

Nice way to embarrass all your loyal fans, guys.

The Brian Kelly Era Gets Under Way

It was a successful day on Saturday for Brian Kelly in his debut as Notre Dame head coach, as the Irish took on rival Purdue at Notre Dame Stadium and came away with a 23-12 victory.

It was also a good start for QB Dayne Crist, who threw for 205 yards and a touchdown in his first start as an Irish quarterback. He threw his TD to T.J. Jones in the fourth to put the game on ice. Armando Allen scored the first TD in the first quarter on a 22-yard run, and Irish were up by 10 points at the half.

Cierre Wood was impressive in the backfield, running for 58 yards on 7 carries, and each of his first four rushes were for 10 yards or more.

But the defense was even more impressive. It was ND's Achilles heel last year, but they had four sacks and two interceptions on the day, and held Purdue to three points at halftime.

The Fighting Irish have a big one next week, as they take on longtime rival Michigan at South Bend next Saturday.

And no, I won't be seeing that game at Professor Thom's next weekend. (Many of you may know that Thom's is a hangout for Michigan fans. I wouldn't dare show up in my Irish gear on game day there.)

Well, So Much For Dragging Me Back

There were two games with the White Sox in Boston on Saturday in some glorious weather, after Hurricane Earl blew through the region on Friday.

So what do we get? Two 3-1 losses. No life in 18 innings at the plate. It was the first time since 1976 that the Red Sox have scored just one run in both ends of a twinbill.

Despite Tampa Bay's loss in Baltimore, the Red Sox are now...oh, why bother.

Time to concentrate on football now.

But I will forever respect Mike Lowell. Turns out he's been playing with a broken rib since August 20th. He continues to be the dictionary definition of a professional baseball player.

I Hope They Keep Pulling Me In

Just when I thought I was out...

They pull me back in. The Red Sox still refuse to go quietly into that good night, and beat the Orioles again last night, 6-4. New York won again (I am paying as a little attention to them as possible these days), but Tampa Bay was idle, so the Red Sox gained a half-game, and are 6 1/2 games back in the Wild Card race.

Adrian Beltre continued to be the Red Sox MVP, blasting a home run to open up a 5-run second inning, and Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched five good innings before faltering in the sixth, as the O's tagged him for 4 runs.

But Scott Atchison came to his rescue and retired all six hitters he faced. Jonathan Papelbon gave up a single and a double to open the ninth, but got out of it without further damage in getting his 35th save.

Old friend Manny Delcarmen made his Colorado Rockies debut last night against the Phillies in Denver last night, but got hammered for four runs on four hits in one-third of an inning, which included a two-run home run hit by Jayson Werth. New home, same act.

Speaking of old friends, Manny Ramirez makes another stop in Boston tonight, as he comes in with his new club, the Chicago White Sox. (Rumors have it he's coming in with his barber as well.) Not so much hubbub about it as last June, but Hurricane Earl may put a damper on the game tonight. Clay Buchholz, tonight's scheduled starter, was chosen as AL Pitcher of the Month for August, as he went 4-0 with a 1.03 ERA in the month just gone by.

28 games to go. It's not over. Well, not yet anyway.

13-0

It looked like a repeat of the Toronto game from a few weeks ago, as Jon Lester was giving up 4 runs in the first inning, and another in the second. (Remember that game? Lester gave up 4 more in the third and was gone, allowing 9 runs in total in just over 2 innings. I've done my best to forget that.)

But Lester hung in there. He settled down, and went six innings, and allowed the Orioles nothing more on the board. Marco Scutaro and J.D. Drew banged home runs, and the Red Sox scored six in the seventh, capped by Adrian Beltre's three run shot, after David Ortiz was walked intentionally to get to him.

Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon went the final three to get a 9-6 win. It was Pap's 34th save of the season.

But it was a very unlikely win for Lester. He continues to own the Orioles, and is now 13-0 lifetime against the Birds. He was getting belted around in the first two frames, giving up six hits and five runs, but he then retired 11 straight when he settled in. He's now 15-8 on the season.

29 games remain. The Red Sox showed me some passion last night and no quit in them. They still trail New York by 8 in the East and Tampa Bay by 7 in the Wild Card.

It looks like the end of the road for 2010 for Dustin Pedroia, as he will have a screw inserted into his foot during an operation scheduled for Friday. Get well soon, Pedey.

"The Big One" Has Been Dropped

As much as I would like to post a clip of John "Bluto" Blutarsky rallying the Deltas and talking it not being over yet, I just don't have it in me to do so. (Or as Dennis Simpson Day said, "War's over, man. Wormer dropped the big one.")

A rather dispiriting loss to the reborn Baltimore Orioles last night by the Sox, 5-2, has made it pretty clear that the Red Sox will play their next meaningful game next April. Josh Beckett didn't pitch badly, but the offense wasn't there, as they could only manage a two-run home run by Jed Lowrie.

Let's face it gang. It's just not going to happen in 2010. The injuries have just been too much to overcome. The pitching disappointments doomed the Sox to a third place finish in the East. And one of those disappointments, Manny Delcarmen, was shipped off to Colorado yesterday for a single A righthanded starting pitcher named Chris Balcom-Miller.

Delcarmen lived the dream of almost every Boston kid: play for the Red Sox. And also won a ring in 2007. But he had fallen so far down the depth charts that the Sox figured they could get something for him on the postseason waiver deadline, and it sounds like Balcom-Miller is a legitimate prospect. Manny is a decent guy and I wish him all the best in Colorado.

And the Jeremy Hermida experiment was officially declared a failure yesterday, as he was officially released by the Red Sox, as he had been playing at Pawtucket.

Trivia Q&A: August 31

As we all watched the Red Sox season fade into the west on Tuesday night (at least I won Jere's contest to guess who would score the final run of August for the Sox: Jed Lowrie), we had 15 teams in on a slower night than usual night in the bar. It looks like a few folks are already getting the jump on their Labor Day weekend plans.

It was a good contest, with three teams fighting all night for the top spot. The scores of Q Are You? were pretty strong (I didn't make it particularly tough), but the scores on True or False Trivia were a bit lower.

The three top teams were only separated by one point, but one of those teams, Bed Bugs Kills AIDS, got four of the five questions correct and wound up winning by three points. Nice job by Joe and his crew in capturing the Trivia Night champions title for this week.

Current Events
1. Forbes magazine reported that this country, which bans social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, did not set up accounts on those sites to promote itself, and it was all a hoax.
2. The city of Barcelona, Spain fined this superstar rock band $22,000 for rehearsing too loudly and beyond their schedule time when they played a gig there in June 2009.
3. This NFL team, which recently opened a new ballpark, was ranked number one among all NFL clubs in total worth by Forbes, a staggering $1.8 billion.
4. This Australian actor, who currently lives in the US, has been banned from leaving Australia, where he was attending his mother's funeral, until he settles a multi-million dollar tax bill.
5. This comedy series, in it's first year on TV, won the Emmy Award for Best Comedy Series last Sunday night.
6. This man secured the release of an American being held in prison by North Korea for illegally entering the country earlier this year, last weekend.
7. Last week, this MLB player became the 47th player in MLB history to hit 400 home runs, and the third youngest ever to reach that milestone.

Q Are You?
1. This man was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1937. He is a comedian, actor, author, producer, educator and musician. He has won 4 Emmy Awards, 9 Grammy Awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002 for his TV work and a Doctor of Education from UMass in 1976.
2. This man was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1926. He's a director, writer, actor and producer. He's one of only 12 people who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Grammy award. Three of his films are in AFI's list of the Top 100 comedy films of all-time.
3. This woman was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1933. She's a comedian, actress and TV personality. She won an Emmy Award for Best Talk Show host in 1990, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a documentary about her life came out earlier this year.
4. This woman was born in New York City in 1945. She's a singer, songwriter and author. She's won two Grammys, an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award. Her 1973 #1 hit single is one of pop music's great enigmas, as she won't publicly say who the subject of the song actually is.
5. This man was born in San Diego, CA in 1970. He's a professional golfer who has won 38 PGA Tour events, and four major titles, his first at the 2004 Masters, getting the "majors monkey" famously off his back.
6. This man was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1967. He's a TV host and comedian. He was the co-host on two shows on Comedy Central before he landed his current gig on network TV, and won an Emmy Award for Best Game Show Host in 1999.
7. This man was born in Alexander City, AL in 1973. He's a 6-time Pro Bowl selection and a 5-time All-Pro selection at wide receiver. He holds or shares several NFL records, but he's been very controversial and created firestorms with the 5 teams he's played with.

True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. John Travolta turned down the starring roles in "An Officer and a Gentleman" and "Tootsie."
2. If coloring weren't added to Coca-Cola, it would be green.
3. Three times more people were killed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake than in the Titanic disaster in 1912.
4. You can still be executed for certain crimes in England.
5. Humphrey Bogart never said "Play it again, Sam" in the film "Casablanca."
6. In space, it is impossible to cry.
7. Singing in the shower can lower your cholesterol.
8. Men are four times more likely to be struck by lightning than women.
9. If a month starts on a Sunday, it will contain a Friday the 13th.
10. John is the most common first name in the world.

General Knowledge
1. What two colors are a part of Israel's flag? ( 1 pt)
2. Wicket keeper is a position in what sport? ( 1 pt)
3. "Hungry Like the Wolf" was the first Top 40 single in 1983 by what British rock group? ( 1 pt)
4. Garry Shandling won an Emmy Award for writing in 1998 for what HBO series? ( 2 pt)
5. The Palme d'Or is given to the best movie in what annual film festival? ( 2 pt)
6. Bratislava is the capital of what European country? ( 2 pt)
7. What famous doctor was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his "great achievement in the field of medicine?" ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. What is the only Beatles number one US hit single whose title is the name of an actual place? ( 4 points)
2. The River Liffey runs through the center of what major city? ( 4 points)
3. Name 1 of the 2 South American countries whose mainland you'll fly over when heading due south from Miani, FLA. ( 3 points)
4. What 1998 movie was the first film that Robert Redford both directed and starred in? ( 4 points)
5. What Pulitzer Prize-winning author once ran unsuccessfully for mayor of New York City? ( 5 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. North Korea; 2. U2; 3. Dallas Cowboys; 4. Paul Hogan; 5. "Modern Family;" 6. Jimmy Carter; 7. Albert Pujols.

Q Are You?
1. Bill Cosby; 2. Mel Brooks; 3. Joan Rivers; 4. Carly Simon; 5. Phil Mickelson; 6. Jimmy Kimmel; 7. Terrell Owens.

True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. true; 2. true; 3. false, it's actually the other way around; 4. false, England no longer has the death penalty; 5. true; 6. true; 7. false; 8. true; 9. true; 10. false, Mohammed.

General Knowledge
1. Blue and white; 2. cricket; 3. Duran Duran; 4. "The Larry Sanders Show;" 5. Cannes; 6. Slovakia; 7. Jonas Salk.

IQ Trivia
1. "Penny Lane;" 2. Dublin, Ireland; 3. Ecuador and Peru; 4. "The Horse Whisperer;" 5. Norman Mailer.