Will 14 be a charm for Jim Rice?

With the 2008 Baseball Hall of Fame recently announced, there are some familiar faces to go along with the 11 new candidates. For Boston fans, no player is mosre recognizable than Jim Rice. While the Boston Red Sox slugger has come close several times, including leading the ballots of non-electees last season, but some feel that while he was a great player, his numbers don't add up to a Hall induction. Rice, the 1978 AL MVP, batted .298 in his career and hit 382 home runs.
While most players from his era are often heard from, Rice is still an integral part of Red Sox Nation as a host of NESN's pre and post game shows along with Tom Caron. And with 2 years left to somehow get voted in, the odds may be against him, but there are still many pulling for his election.

A unigue party in Boston

I have to admit it was rather strange to watch the Boston Red Sox celebrate after clinching their first AL East title since 1995.

I'm sort of used to seeing a final out or walk-off hit and then watching the players sprint from the dugout, but that wasn't to be this year. With the players watching Baltimore come back from 3 runs down in the bottom of the 9th to the Yankess and over 30,000 fans watching the game on the screen in center field, it was purely a case of wait and see.

When Baltimore won their game in the bottom of the 10th, the players began their celebration, as did the fans in the seats, but what was impressive was that the players didn't confine their fun to the clubhouse. Recognizing the passion of Red Sox Nation, they came down from the press-filled locker room to party with the fans.

It was clearly an odd scene, swim goggles and all, but a well-earned party for everyone!

Six days, six games, one division title

In Boston and New York, the media is in a frenzy, which is to say that things are pretty much normal in these two baseball-crazed municipalities, but with 6 days to go in the regular season and only two games separating the two at the top of the AL East, it's a little more crazy.

Boston, hampered by injuries and perhaps a little concerned about the effectiveness of the bullpen, opens a 2-game set tonight versus the A's, while New York is in "The Pit" to face the last place, but always tough-against-the-top-teams Devil Rays.

With Schilling hurling for Boston tonight and Clemens throwing for the Yanks, both teams hope to get a leg up on each other as we enter into the final stretch. I think you know by now, where my allegiances lie!.

GO SOX!