CC Sabathia got his 1st win of the year against the Red Sox last night in a classic Sox/Yanks battle. Sabathia and the Yankee bullpen were able to pitch their way out of several jams and win 5-2.  The Red Sox struggled to convert with men on base all night, which usually means an automatic L when you’re playing New York.  John Lackey pretty much Lackey’ed his way through the game: never pitching terribly but slowly bleeding as the Yankees nibbled on him.

The one big bite was taken by Francisco Cervelli. Cervelli crushed a Homer onto Landsdowne St in the 5th inning, then celebrated like a guy who just hit his second Home Run of the year (fact).  The next time Cervelli stepped up to the plate in the 7th, Lackey plunked him in the back with a fastball. Benches cleared. Classic Red Sox – Yankees!

The most entertaining moment of the game was probably in the middle of the 5th inning.  As CC Sabathia walked off the mound, Big Papi was trotting out to take the field and, without breaking stride, delivered a hearty slap to CC’s massive rear end.

Only in baseball.

I’m not sure if Papi was messing with him, or if they’re buddies, or if he was just saying “Hey, I’m Big Papi, I own the Yankees, I do as I please”.  Regardless of the motive, it was hilarious to see CC’s gigantic blubbery figure jiggle in the wind when Papi gave him the big bear paw smack.

The game was closer than the scoreline indicated; the Sox simply did not convert on good opportunities. While the Sox couldn’t crack Sabathia for more runs, they forced him to deliver a Season high 128 pitches in only 6 innings. Sabathia is used to dominating teams for 8 or 9 innings…but the Sox lineup simply makes him work too hard.  This could come back to bite the Yankees if we face them in the playoffs.

If we learned anything last night,  it’s that this Rivalry is just as intense as ever. Even though both teams will easily make the Playoffs, no one on either side wants to take it easy at the end of the year and give up the Division Title.

Luckily, the current Yankee rotation is glaringly thin. Career underachiever Phil Hughes pitches for the Bronx Bummers tonight.  Look for the Red Sox to rally behind Josh Beckett and take Game 2 of this series.

Coming into tonight’s game, the Red Sox are 1.5 Games ahead of the Yankees in the AL East. The pundits have all been debating whether or not this matters, since it seems to be a lock that both these teams will make the playoffs. Tampa Bay, the nearest Wild Card threat, is 7.5 games behind New York with less than 30 games to play. But don’t listen to media “experts”.  This is Red Sox – Yankees.  There is always something to play for, no matter if it’s Spring Training or the ALCS.

You have to think about the momentum gained by the team who edges out the other for the Division title heading into the playoffs.  Plus the winner gets a weaker first round opponent, and would have Home Field advantage should the Red Sox and Yankees tangle in the second round. The Sox are 10-2 against New York this year, so if they win this series it would be pretty demoralizing for the Yankees. They play a total of 6 more games against each other, 3 this week in Boston, then 3 games in New York at the end of September. If you played for the Yankees and the Red Sox crushed you at the end of the season, won the division, and finished say 14-4 against you on the year, how confident would you feel heading into the post-season?

Entering September and October it’s as much about the psychological element of the game as it is anything else. Remember in ’04 when the loose, confident “Idiots” came back against the Yankees by staying mentally tough when they were down 3-0 in the ALCS?  Baseball is a slowly paced game where players spend a lot of time inside their own heads. These two teams are playing for more than to just make the playoffs. You need to come into the post-season hot in order to to actually win anything. I think there’s a lot at stake when these two teams take the field tonight at Fenway. Remember this is the Red Sox and the Yankees… don’t ever underestimate the greatest rivalry in sports.

NFL network is airing a 2 Part Documentary called “Bill Belichick: A Football Life” beginning on September 15. If the trailer is any indication, it’s going to be absolutely epic.  Belichick was mic’d up and followed by camera crews throughout the entire 09 season.

This film should give fans unprecedented access to the notoriously private Belichick.  Hoodie won’t even answer reporter’s questions half the time, so it’s pretty surprising that he gave the NFL films crew this much access. They follow him everywhere from practice, to meetings with Tom Brady and Robert Kraft, to his Nantucket fishing trip. Tune in to NFL Network at 9 pm on Sept. 15 to watch

The Boston Cannons are MLL Champs! They defeated the Hamilton Nationals 10-9 yestedray in Annapolis, Maryland to bring home their first ever Championship.

Massachusetts has been one of the hot-beds for the growth of the sport, so it’s great to see the Cannons bring home the title. Another Trophy for the Home of Champions!

Boston just keeps on winning

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The Patriots were demolished in Detroit on Saturday 34-10.  Ndamukong Suh was a force in the middle, tying up the Pats O-Line allowing his teammates to make plays. Matthew Stafford put on a clinic, completing 12 of 14 passes for 200 yds and 2 TDs. Tom Brady did not look like himself throwing for 145 with a TD and a pick.  The Pats were basically dominated in every aspect of the game.

But don’t panic.

This game may be exactly what the Patriots needed.  When you’re the top dog in the League, simply rolling through the Pre-Season teaches you nothing.  This is the time for young guys to get reps, to iron out kinks in your system, and work on your timing.  Going all-out to beat Detroit wouldn’t prove much, and going 4-0 in the Pre-Season doesn’t earn you any trophies.  Coasting into the Regular Season by beating lesser teams would instill too much unearned confidence in the team.  This was a perfect reality check, exposing the lockout rust that is affecting all franchises including the Patriots.

As Tedy Bruschi put it in his post-game in his insightful post-game article, ”this could be something that coach Bill Belichick is smiling about behind the scenes”. The NFL is the most competitive sports League on the planet: any team can win on any given Sunday. If you get cocky or complacent, your team will get crushed. Saturday, the Pats got served a nice slice of Humble Pie.  Luckily, that’s their dessert of choice.

New England native and PGA Champion Keegan Bradley was seen wearing a Chowdaheadz T-Shirt in a recent Golf Digest article.

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Bradley was born in Vermont and attended High School in Massachusetts. He is a die-hard Boston fan.   After his recent Major victory, Bradley appeared on several local radio stations and said he is a huge supporter of the Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins and Celtics.  He even tweeted this picture of his PGA Championship trophy with the message “go sox baby.”

At age 25, Bradley looks to have a big career ahead of him.  Keep bringing more trophies to Boston, Keegan…and keep rocking your Chowdaheadz gear!

On November 6, the Patriots play the Giants in their first real game since the devastating 2007 Superbowl. On Thursday, we will get a nice sneak peek as the Pats and Giants face off in the 4th and final Pre-Season Game.

Eli Manning fueled the Rivalry even more this summer by comparing himself to Tom Brady.  Hopefully both QBs get some decent playing time on Thursday because it’s going to be great watching them face off. Not as fun as watching Brady duel with the other, more talented Manning brother, but entertaining still.  Pats fans may also get their first taste of Albert Haynesworth.

Haynesworth practiced with the team all week after sitting out for nearly all of the Pre-Season. And the best part about Thursday? It’s the last Pre-Season game, which means the Regular Season is just around the corner!

Charlie gives you the breakdown of everything that happened in Boston this week!

When Tim Thomas returned home to Michigan with the Stanley Cup earlier this week, he found out a bridge had been dedicated to him in his hometown of Davison.

Those folks in Michigan sure love their Hockey! We think Timmy earned it after the best performance of any Goalie in the Playoffs EVER.  You can read the Full Story Here