it's go time!

ok, the 1st half of the season is behind us now and we're leading the al east by a couple games. like most sox fans, i think that number could have been 6+ games considering the yankees inconsistent play and the orioles slide prior to the last series, but 1st place is 1st place.
imo, the yanks will continue to run hot and cold especially since they currently have just johnson and mussina as proven starters. both pitchers have shown major vulnerability on the mound too. the o's pitching isn't going to hold up down the stretch either so the division is ours to lose.
i am still looking for epstein to mastermind at least a couple more (relatively) major moves to improve the club. whether that means more (or improved) arms, trading for millar, signing kapler, or anything else he can dream, i don't know. but he has proven in the past to make great deals that benefit the team now with the least amount of sacrifice for the future so i have all the trust in him.
the sox upcoming schedule looks pretty good including a million games against tampa bay, kc, and detroit, also i am pretty sure there are a lot of home series coming up.
i've read others write about how huge this series against the yankees is. i agree, in part, since it could mean a big shift in the standings but i really don't expect anything other than to trade games. i think the pitching matchups end up slightly in our favor but i'm thinking most will be slugfests.
this leads me to a couple of comments. sheffield has proven to be a bigger idiot than i had previously suspected. he seems like such an ass, first bithing about being traded, than yappin' about next year's 'world classic' or whatever it's called, now he's talking about how the sox better not mess with a-rod. wtf does he care, everything that comes out of this man's mouth is me, me, me, me, me but all of a sudden he's trying to be a team player. i certainly don't wish harm/injury on any player but if a pitch happened to get away a nail this idiot in the ass, i wouldn't be that upset.
one more quick subject that i hope to expound on in a later post... i think francona needs to grow some nuts and be more firm in the dugout or hit the pavement (no, yelling at payton when he was probably already cut from the team doesn't count). i'm not suggesting he's doing a terrible job but a few games were definitely lost by his mismanagement. at least a couple games have been lost due to bonehead roster moves which i think come from catering too much to his players. i don't know, resting practically all the starters in the same game just seems dumb. yeah, i read that the team got in really late from texas, but come on, this is the big leagues. as i said, i'd like to go into it more and see what others think. maybe i'll have a chance this weekend.