Lowering the boom...

The wild west broke out in the middle of Fenway Park last night, and there were cheap shots flying in and out of the dugout. The Rays proved once again that they are not prepared to be true contenders. They have their best pitcher other than Kazmir on the mound in James Shields and he pops Crisp the first time he's up. In a game of this magnitude for a young club like the Rays, they showed that they are still too inexperienced to be a player in the AL East.

A smart manager and a smart pitcher would have waited to exact their revenge. Make Crisp squirm in the box every time he faces your club. Make him think every pitch could potentially send him sprawling into the dirt. Wait until the end of a meaningless game and pop him then, don't sacrifice a quality start for the sake of revenge. Teams like the Rays cannot afford to be giving away games that easily.

As for the fight itself, Crisp was out of line charging the mound and the Rays in general were a bunch of cheap shot-taking weasels. Crisp knew that he was going to be hit. He took responsibility for it during the post-game on Wednesday. Why he charged the mound when he knew he would be plunked, I don't know. The plunking wasn't even that bad, right on the thigh, nowhere near the head or upper body. A harmless fastball to the thigh.

The Rays players themselves looked like thugs, giving extra punches to Crisp as he lay on the ground under multiple bodies. Jonny Gomes leapt on Crisp like he had a personal agenda against him, sneaking in body shots and Carl Crawford (who, mind you, is not even supposed to be at full health) comes sprinting in from the outfield and starts punching Crisp in the face. All of this just made the Rays look sophomoric and unprofessional. I will be very interested to see the suspensions handed down. I expect Crisp to receive the worst end of all of this, but Gomes and Crawford should also see some time handed down.

The fun didn't stop on the field though, instead, it spilled over into the Sox dugout. No one seems to be willing to offer up what was going on between Manny and Youkilis in the dugout, but it looked on replay as if Youk really had no interest or wanted no part of it. My best guess? Manny took his sweet time getting out of the dugout to come to Crisp's aide earlier in the game. Youkilis was out there instantly. I would guess that Youk probably said something like that in passing to Manny and he took exception. One of the biggest parts of a baseball team is respect and protecting teammates. Manny likely didn't take kindly to being called a coward.

This was by far the most entertaining game so far this season. And on top of all that, the Sox won.

Can't wait for the three-game series at the Trop. I would predict more fireworks...

Smoltz done?

The sport of baseball may have lost a legend today, as John Smoltz announced that at age 42, he will be having season ending surgery. Smoltz is getting old, and has already come back from Tommy John surgery in 2001, but that was a very long time ago compared to where he is now. Though he was somewhat devoid of emotion at his press conference, you could tell that the injury is eating him up inside. Smoltz is a gamer and someone that every fan can get behind and support. Sitting on the sideline when the Braves have seemingly pieced together one of their most promising lineups in years is going to kill him.

Should Smoltz retire now, he is almost certainly going to be a first ballot hall of famer. He is the only pitcher in the history of the game to have 200 wins and 150 saves, he's got his 3000 strikeouts, he has led the league in different years in saves (55) and wins (24), he's an 8-time All Star, he's got a Cy Young Award, and he's got more postseason wins (15) than any pitcher in the history of the game. Injuries have hurt his numbers, but his accomplishments should be enough to get him into Cooperstown.

In other news...

• The Joba Chamberlain experiment may need a few more tests before it is called a success. Joba went a couple innings last night, but had visits from a coach and his catcher in the first inning, almost being yanked before he could escape the first three outs. I still don't like this move and I don't know why the Yankees would mess with their bullpen when there is no one to fill the gap. The pen collapsed last night and showed how valuable Joba is in that set-up spot. Mo' may not be seeing many save opportunities without his doorstopper.

• Pedro Martinez came back and he pitched effectively last night on the other side of New York, throwing 6 innings and picking up the win. The Mets are currently in fourth place in the NL East and a healthy Pedro could be just what they need to make a push. They are only 4.5 games out and a strong starting pitcher is just what they need. Not to mention the chemistry Pedro brings to a locker room

That's it, watch the Ray vs Red Sox tonight on ESPN, two potential playoff teams in a battle for first place. Read that line again, I didn't think I'd ever write that.

Breaking Manny News:

Just a quick update on Manny Ramirez's 500th home run. There is now word he left home plate. In fact, he made it around the bases just in time for today's game when he was up and knocked out number 501. There is no word as to when Manny will be finishing his walk-trot for this follow up home run. I'll keep you updated on this developing story.