What a drought. The Sox can’t seem to score runners from third, and the once infallible bullpen now seems to have trouble going more than 2/3 of an inning without giving up a run. However, what the Sox have really been lacking for the past month has been a Big Papi walkoff. (Has it been long enough to use the cliches yet?) For one month and three days Big Papi wasn’t able to come up to the plate and win a game with one swing of the bat. Somehow the Sox are still in first place. It’s a miracle.

What really impressed me about this walkoff was Papi’s comments afterwards. He basically said that Romero, who was brought in specifically to face him, has a great sinker and was going to try to jam him. So, with the overshift in place, Papi just gave it an inside-out swing and put it where there would normally be a shortstop. Clutch and smart. When is the Big Papi statue being erected?

This was a big win for the Sox. They went into the 8th down by three; via the magic of a Big Papi solo shot, two singles, a wild pitch and a bloop double (by Doubles) the Sox managed to tie it. Then, in the top of the 11th, with one of the z-twins pitching, Manny throws a perfect one-hop throw to nail the Angels’ catcher at the plate preserving a tie. An all-around team win by the Sox (By team I mean any player on the roster whose name doesn’t rhyme with Loco, he didn’t do shit).

But I can’t take a win like this without some criticism. Jerry is so delighted with his little “way back, way back” call that it’s near impossible to understand what’s going on other than a long fly ball. Plus, he’s wrong WAY more often than he’s correct. Here’s a tip: watch the fielder. If the fielder lines up the ball, TELL US! If he’s not moving, TELL US! Really it’s not rocket science. How many times does he have to raise the blood pressure of every warm-blooded member of Red Sox Nation before he’ll actually attempt to learn something that will make him better at his job? Suck is an understatement for his work on the microphone. Maybe if we as Sox fans are lucky, we’ll be treated to a new September call-up: Dan Hoard, the Pawtucket announcer.