nedsjotw.com

Mike: Victor Martinez makes another visit to the mound. He’s visited the mound more times tonight than Britney Spears has visited her kids in the past month.

Ned: Mike, down by nine runs, and the game not even half over, do you think the Indians might want to change their strategy?

Mike: No Ned. We need to stay the course. Still plenty of time. Of course,

throwing strikes is always welcome…

Ned: That was a hell of a catch Sizemore made off of Ellsbury.

Mike: It reminded me of the time in 1912 when Honus Wagner caught a line drive

from Abram Lester with his teeth. The Pirates, like the Indians, were

down 10-1 in that game, but rallied before losing 10-2.

Ned: Stifling Big Papi and Manny has worked, too, sort of.

Mike: Yes, but it reminds me of the potential blunder made by Admiral William

“Bull” Halsey at Leyte Gulf in 1944. While sending his main fleet north

to attack what he thought was the main element of the Japanese navy (a

decoy), he failed to understand that the real threat was in the San

Bernadino Straits (represented tonight by J.D. Drew and Kevin Youkliss).

But unlike Halsey, the Indians do not appear to have left the destroyer

escorts and the escort carriers in place to save the day.

And just for the record, I would have done the same thing Halsey did and

don't consider it a blemish on his record. Hindsight is 20/20.

Ned: The Kamikaze was invented as a tactical weapon at Leyte Gulf.

Mike: Yeah, well, the Japanese were behind by more than 10-1, I can tell you that.

Ned: Would you pitch Beckett tomorrow?

Mike: I would pitch Becket, preferably over the side and into Boston Harbor.

Mike: I always get JD Drew confused with JT Snow, and I can't remember which

one I don't like. Tonight I don't like Drew. What he did was bad. Very

bad.

Interesting that at one point J.D. Drew had all 5 of Boston’s RBIs, but since then his percentage has been cut in half. How do you explain this 50 percent drop in production?

Ned: He's reverting to normal.

Mike: I'm going to bed Let the record show that I believe with at least a 24 percent certainty that we will have a seventh game.

Ned: It's only the 8th. Ye of little faith.