Happy Fourth!

I love this picture of Manny Ramirez. It was taken a few years ago (2004?) the day after he became an American citizen. We joke a lot about "Manny Being Manny" and "Manny Moments" - but this my favorite Manny Moment. The look of pure joy and happiness is so great!

I put this photo at the top, because last night's game was the exact opposite for the RS supporter. As a fan of baseball, it was a great game. Scott "Sox Killer" Kazmir pitched a complete game, only allowing 2 hits. It was a masterful performance - he had 10 strikeouts. Wow. I don't know why Kazmir performs so well against the RS. As he manager, Joe Maddon, said:

“I think the sight of the Red Sox uniform turns him on a little bit,” Maddon said. “The fact that he likes the big game against the better team under the big spotlight is really good for us. He really does elevate his game.”

It was also a strange evening at the Trop - because there were actually a ton of DEVIL RAY FANS there! And they really got into the game - cheering every pitch towards the end. It was kind of stunning - I hope the owners were paying attention. They always claim that the Tampa crowd is apathetic, doesn't care about baseball. But I think last night showed that baseball DOES sell in Tampa - if they put together an exciting, contending team. Open the purses, guys!

Today, it's Mr. Curt vs. old friend Casey Fossum. I hope that Curt is still ticked about the All-Star snub and pitches like our ace! Go Sox!