Dave Roberts is THE man!

Boston Globe Photo

It was so great to see Dave Roberts last night. Dave was back at Fenway to throw out the first pitch before the second game vs. the Twins.

It's hard to imagine what life would be like today if not for his monumental steal in the 2004 ALCS. Certainly the Red Sox would look VERY different. Would we have gone on to win another championship in 2007? Would that loss in 2004 have killed the last embers of hope burning in the hearts of Red Sox Nation? Terry Francona would probably be pumping gas somewhere, along with fellow grease monkey Kevin Millar. Johnny Damon would be stripping. Bronson Arroyo would singing Karaoke down in Florida. Mark Bellhorn would be....well, actually, some things wouldn't be so different.

Thank heavens we don't have to even consider that. We DID win - his steal DID launch our incredible comeback in the ALCS - we DID beat the Yankees.

And in the middle of that comeback was this wonderful, polite man. I had the privilege of meeting him in 2005, when he was playing with the Padres. They were playing in Atlanta, and I hiked down to see Bellhorn play. When Dave Roberts saw my Red Sox jersey, he came right over and signed an autograph for me. He had some incredibly nice things to say about Boston and our great fans. A terrific memory.

There's talk that Dave might be doing some studio work for NESN. That would be great! In the meantime: THANKS DAVE!!

Good news!

File photo
Good news about Mike Lowell. His rehab continues to go well, and Tito says we could see him back in the lineup in a limited role next week. Yeah! We really need him to be healthy and to play well if we hope to contend this year. His off-the-field leadership is also really important to the Red Sox. So, keep up the good work, Mike!


Some bittersweet news out of San Francisco this week. Dave Roberts was let loose by the Giants - they are apparently going in a "younger" direction. What this will mean for Roberts' future, I'm not sure. There's a terrific look at "The Steal" on SF Gate - it always give me chills to remember that incredible moment in the run to the 2004 World Series Championship. The photo above was taken when he played for the Padres, during a series against the Braves. I was standing by the dugout during BP and called out to him. He saw my Red Sox shirt and came right over to sign for me. He went on about how great RS fans have been to him, how they always came out to see him play and thank him for that great moment. What a great guy, a total gentleman.

One other bit of interesting news. According to today's New York Times, Alex Rodriguez will almost certainly by undergoing surgery for his torn labrum. Estimated time on the DL: four months. At least he'll be back in time to choke in the playoffs again.

I must write myself a note - so that I remember to change the clocks tonight! Ugh - losing an hour of sleep is not fun, especially when you have to work on Saturday and Sunday is lone day of "rest" for the week. Oh, well, I am grateful that I have a job these days...

A tale of two icons

So, tonight at Fenway two icons will appear with the San Francisco Giants. And they represent such opposite ends of the spectrum - and I anticipate two totally different reactions from the Fenway Faithful.

Barry Bonds will be playing DH for the Giants, and he's on his way to breaking Hank Aaron's home run record. He stands tonight at 747, only needing 13 more. Yet the whole record chase is tainted, according to most fans. There is the shadow of doubt over whether Bonds' homers were fueled by steroids. You can't deny the photo comparisons between Bonds in the 90s and how he looks now. All evidence seems to point to steroid use. So, should his record have an asterix? How should we celebrate the occasion when he passes the record?

Personally, I feel he did take steroids, and I do think that he's cheating. I don't think I can celebrate his breaking of the record. Hank Aaron did it clean, and did it in the face of incredible opposition - most of it racially motivated. I'd have an incredible amount of respect for Bonds if he chose to retire one short of the record. But I don't see that happening. In the interest of full disclosure, one of my summer reading books is "Game of Shadows" - so I should be able to weigh in with more clarity soon!

On the other end of the spectrum is their lead-off hitter. Dave Roberts will forever be an adored icon in Boston - his steal of 2nd in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS really shifted the momentum of that series. Without his steal, we lose that series, and never win the 2004 World Series. I had the chance to meet him last year in Atlanta, when he played for the Padres. He was so complimentary of RS fans, talked about how they always came out and supported him in every city. A total class act! I can't wait to hear the reaction from the fans - and he leads off tonight, so the wait won't be long.