Post Gustav Notes

It's hard to believe that the Boston Red Sox are still in the lead for the AL wild card spot and only 3 1/2 games behind the Rays in the AL east, considering the injuries they have sustained. Wednesday night there was only one starter left in the infield and JD Drew has been missing from the outfield for 2 weeks. The pitching staff has been decimated. Josh Beckett, who will take the mound tonight after missing 3 starts Tim Wakefield has also missed significant time. Clay Bucholtz has been a failure and has been reassigned to triple A. Daisuke Matsuzaka has missed time on the DL. The only steady performer has been Jon Lester. Thank goodness for the trade for Paul Byrd who is 3-1 since coming over from Cleveland.
With Beckett returning tonight, it looks like The Sox have a complete rotation for the first time since God knows when. Youk may be back in the lineup either at first or third.
On the positive side of the injury report is that Boston has unearthed Jed Lowrey who has replaced the injured Julio Lugo. Lowrey is much more effective on defense than Lugo and actually an offensive asset, whereas Lugo was a liability. I don't know about Terry Francona, but I've found my Shortstop of the future.
I haven't heard any predictions about when Mike Lowell will return, but with a healthy pitching staff and a resurgent Jason Bay replacing a dormant Manny Ramirez in left, I think the Bosox are poised for a run at a playoff spot.

LSU looked splendid in their opener against Division I-AA national champion Appalachian State last week in Tiger stadium. Looked like they did whatever they wanted to do both offensively and defensively. The only chink in their armor was the punting which was inconsistent at best.
The game this week has been postponed because of the ravages of Hurricane Gustav on Tiger Stadium and Baton Rouge. This will give the players time to return home and help their families with post-hurricane repairs.

Ole Miss looked like a team on a mission last Saturday in Vaught- Hemingway stadium. The Rebels had struggled against Memphis in the past few years and had actually lost a few times. But that was not the case in this game as they gave the Tigers a shellacking 41-24. Although deficient in talent compared with most SEC teams, Ole Miss looked disciplined and well coached and all-in-all, much better in every aspect of the game than last year. They looked well coached and were fun to watch. After the game, it was the opinion of everyone at the Pontotoc tent, that we were once again proud of our team. They played hard throughout the game even when they began to fade in the 4th quarter. It'll be a good year for the Rebels, one in which they will surprise a few people.
They'll play Wake Forest in Winston Salem this Saturday afternoon on CBS where not only will they have to contend with the Deacon's spread offense but the winds and rain of Hurricane Hannah.