Boston and Detroit Avoid Sweeps

In two series that pitted the top 2 teams in both the AL East and AL Central, the team starting the series in 2nd place had a chance to complete a series sweep last night...and we're denied.

Behind solid pitching performances of their veteran "aces" (Kenny Rogers & Curt Schilling), both Detroit and Boston got much-needed wins to end their dismal divisional series on a high note. Rogers scattered 5 hits in his outing, and got a smooth 6-2 win over Chicago. Schilling pitched well, surrendering only 4 hits. Unfortunately, the Yankees were making all of their hits count as 3 of the 4 hits left the yard. Boston's offense awoke in the 6th inning, though, and Jason Varitek (4 RBIs) led an 8-run outburst that salvaged Boston's miserable week in the Bronx.

Weekend Ahead

There are some interesting series to keep an eye on this weekend:

Cleveland at Chicago White Sox (Fri-Sun). FOX once again spoils the party as Saturday's Buehrle-Sabathia matchup will be missed by most of the nation.

Texas at Boston (Fri-Sun, day/night DH on Sat). With the weather here in Boston calling for (more) rain tonight, the series likely won't start until Saturday. How that affects the highly anticipated MLB debut of LHP Jon Lester (scheduled to start the 1:20pm game on Saturday) is yet to be seen. John "Way Back" Wasdin goes up against Josh "Back, Back, Back" Beckett on Saturday night. Just a friendly word to the wise if you're going to be eastbound on the Mass Pike on Saturday night.

Seattle at Arizona (Fri-Sun). Yes, these are the 3-4 teams in the AL West, but with Texas in Boston and Oakland in New York, one of these teams could potentially gain some ground.

World Cup 2006

The popularity of soccer in America is reportedly growing, albeit at a snail's pace. That said, I think I'm going to tune in and watch some "futbol" this weekend. The energy that these crowds create is unparalleled, and it might be fun to watch that classic England-Paraguay match at 9am (EST) on Saturday.

Seahawks Receive Some Bling

The story is a few days old, but I hadn't had the time to mention it before now. On Wednesday, the members of the 2005 Seattle Seahawks received their NFC Championship rings, which featured 58 diamonds set in 14-carat white gold.