18 runs later, the Sox are up 2-0 in the series and looking to complete the sweep in their final regular season showdown against the Yanks on the hallowed grounds of Yankee Stadium. Led last night by Dustin Pedroia (3-for-5 with a grand slam and 3 runs scored) and Jason Bay (2-for-4 with a triple and 4 RBI), the Sox crushed the Bronx Bombers to the tune of 11 runs on 13 hits. (Speaking of the "Bronx Bombers," can we all agree to get rid of that nickname yet? It really hasn't been fitting for at least the past half-decade and arguably longer. Is there some sort of statute of limitations on these things? Someone look into it...) With the Rays getting the 1-0 win over the Jays (How many complete game gems can that team squander?), the Sox remain 3.5 games out of first. New York, meanwhile, has slipped to 10.5 back. Jon Lester opposes Mike Mussina tomorrow; should Lester get the win, we really couldn't picture a better send-off for the league's third oldest ballpark.

As if an 11-3 thrashing of the Yankees wasn't enough, another bit of good news came today as Jay Mariotti resigned from the Chicago Sun-Times, apparently because he didn't get his way when the Sun-Times editors allowed a fellow scribe to write an Obama story when he also wanted to. Unfortunately, we'll still have to put up with him on ESPN's Around the Horn, but at least Chicagoans won't be forced to read about how much he hates the world and everyone in it for the foreseeable future. Barstool Sports commenter Shamrock1957 put it best: "This is like Christmas AND my birthday rolled into one." Well played, sir.

How's the Mariotti situation relevant to Bostonians? Well, several well-placed sources (including Boston Sports Media Watch) believe Mariotti could be bringing his act out East... all the way to the Hub. Cross your fingers and say an extra Hail Mary because we may be in for a bigger shit-storm than the likes of Shaugnessy, Tomase, Massarotti, Borges and Dennis and Callahan could ever conjure up if this turns out to be true.