GOOD STUFF!

Man, I wish I had more time to do this blog, or any blog for that matter. Why? Well, it was an eventful week. The Red Sox took on the Rays for 1st place in the division and the Pats had a game vs. the Jets. So let's start with the Patriots!
Brady had started each and every game since 2001. So seeing Matt Cassell start this game was strange. The comfy confident QB position was gone. Brady is done, injured and done for this season. But the good news is he'll be 100 percent healthy for next season.
The Pats went to NY and took on the Jets. The teams battled good. The game was 6-3 Pats at the half. Favre and Cassell battled and both defenses were stellar. In the 3rd quarter the Pats defense, the running game and the short passing game all helped to give the Pats a 16-3 lead heading into the 4th. After the Jets battled back and scored a TD, the Pats responded and got a field goal to lead 19-10. The Pats defense took over and the legs of Jordan finished off the game.
The Pats went for a 4th and 3 late in the game and got it to ice the game. The clock ticked down and the Pats won 19-10. An upset to some. Highlights of the game included: no mistakes by Cassell, a 20 yard sack by Thomas on Favre and the RB protecting him, the catches by Welker and Faulk, the 2nd half running by bulldozer Jordan and the kicking of Gostkowski! Great team effort all around. Every one in a Pats uniform stepped up. Next game, the lowly 0-2 Dolphins. Go Pats!
Well, the Sox are in a race of their own. The team entered the week 1.5 games behind the Rays. The Rays came into Fenway and lost the opener behind great pitching from Lester in a 3-0 win. It was the 456th consecutive sellout for the club, a new major league record! Congrats.
The next 2 nights were horrible. The Sox lost both games, but it was the way they lost that hurt.
In a great battle, the Sox stormed back and took a 4-3 lead on a 2run homer by Bay in the 8th. The Red Sox were 3 outs for taking back what was rightfully theirs; the AL East division lead. But in a stunning turn of events, Papelbon gave up 2 runs and the Sox went from being in 1st place by a half game to suddenly being in 1.5 back of the Rays. The next night, a Beckett/Sonnanstine duel occurred. Both teams had chances but a 1-1 tie continued on. The Sox had so many chances to win in the late innings, getting guys in scoring position with less than 2 outs nearly every inning until Pena hit a 3 run shot in the top of the 14th to give the Rays a 4-1 lead! They team even loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the 14th frame but only got 1 run and loss 4-2. Two tough losses and a 4 game swing for the Rays. They came into Boston and won the last 2 games and went to NY with a nice 2.5 game lead.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox had to take on the Jays for 4 games in 3 days! The Jays came into town just having a 10 game win streak snapped the night before! They were either gonna win the series and stay in the wildcard race or not. The Jays were so desperate they moved all their starters up to pitch on 3 days rest! In the opener, Wake threw 8 scoreless innings and the Red Sox won 7-0. The next day was a double-header. Burnett pitched great and the Sox got crushed 8-1. In the night cap, the Sox blew a 2-0 lead and were down 5-2. The team was in trouble, especially since the Twins swept 2 from the Orioles. But then the comeback began. The team battled back and pulled within 1 run 5-4. Then they scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th off Downs, capped off by an Ellsbury bunt that lead to the winning run! They won the game and likely the wildcard in the process! It was a big momentum swing! In the finale, the Sox and Lester beat Halladay and the Jays 4-3. Papelbon gave up 2 runs in the 9th but the team held on for the 4-3 victory!
What about the Rays? Well, the pinstripes took 2 of 3. The assist from the enemy helped knock the Rays lead to just a single game. Even more exciting is the fact the Rays and Red Sox battle this week. The division is on the line. Then the Sox head to Toronto to conclude the final roadtrip! Go Red Sox!