Before we headed into Oakland I said I would settle for 6-6 over the next 12 games. But at the same time I expected that we'd get the majority of the wins at home. Now that we're coming home with a 4-2 record in those first six, my hope for 8-4 isn't so far fetched, and at the very least I'm now demanding no worse than 7-5.

But unfortunatley there's going to be a huge missing element fromt the team for atleast a month. The official diagnosis on Manny's index finger is that it is broken and at the very minimum he'll miss four weeks. Hind sight is always 20-20, but I don't want to get into why the heck Cubbage sent Manny home with no outs, it'll simply make me too angry.

What do I say about the injury? So what! Win anyway! Hey Rickey, stop your bitching, here's your chance, with Manny out you're the new left fielder for the next month. Maybe it was me looking for something that didn't exsist, but Rickey seemed to have a little more pep in his step last night, probably due to the fact that he knows he'll be in the line-up every day now. Well Rickey, your in, now put your bat and legs where your mouth is.

Oh, and Tony Clark, It's time to show up. It's been almost a month and a half, time to start picking it up, especially now. I don't want to hear this slow starter crap anymore, we're into week 7 of the season. Get it going damn it!

And the rest of the bats, time to step up and take the reign. Trot and Shea need to step it up a notch, and Tek needs to contrubute a few more times a week as well. We'll get thru the Manny injury, I demand it.

I said at the beginning of the season I was going to have irrational demands this year, and I see no reason to stop. We will have our day in the sun!

No game tonight, boooooooo, Lowe tomorrow.

paul@redsox2000.com