My hero

When I go off on my various Red Sox road trips, my erstwhile companion is my Boston-based buddy Kelly, she of the awesome photos. But the fact is, we have a third companion. His name is Steve T. Ferret. In many ways, he's an ideal companion - he's quiet; he doesn't take up much space; he never complains about a lumpy bed or getting squished in an overhead compartment; and he's always game for a photo.

He also has become one of the RS Players' favorite photo companions. On Friday, Big Papi jumped at the opportunity to be photographed with the ferret who is becoming a legend.

Classic! (and it goes without saying: Photo by SittingStill!)

Papi breaks out!

So, his bat may not be smokin' hot - yet! But Big Papi had 5 rbis last night, including a Grand Slam Home Run, in the Red Sox victory over the Texas Rangers. 11-7. Daisuke Matsuzaka got his FOURTH victory of the young season, although he threw 101 pitches in only 5 1/3 innings. I guess that's something we're going to have to get used to with the Dice - tons of pitches, not tons of innings. But he's been fortunate to have the offense working on his behalf.


AP photo by Charles Krupa

And what an offense! Ortiz hit the grand slam with the bases loaded with the kids: Pedroia, Ellsbury and Lowrie. Awesome. And I loved that the team gave Ortiz the "silent treatment" when he got back to the dugout - waiting several minutes before actually congratulating him. Not a great video here, but you get the idea:



And on a totally un-Red Sox note - this video is very funny!