Bot Thoughts: He would’ve never played much. The Sox kept sending him down and calling him up, so it’s nice to see him get a fresh start somewhere else. This trade opens the door for Craig Hansen to affirm himself as a solid righty reliever out of the bullpen.

Bot Thoughts: Maybe Lugo needs to head to the DL to clear his head…and maybe to find where all his power and defensive skills have gone. Bring on Jed Lowrie!

Bot Thoughts: I would suggest that Tim Thomas sit out the World Championships. The Bruins pay him, not the US!

In Game 2 on Saturday night, Papelbon shut the door for his 11th save and Kevin Youkilis homered again (his eighth this season) as the Red Sox took care of business, winning 5-2. Daisuke Matsuzaka was very solid, going seven innings and allowing two runs on six hits and three walks with seven strikeouts. The walks are down from last game’s eight walks, but they’re still too high and he needs to gain more command of his pitches.

Sox Studs:

The entire lineup has been heating up. In Game 2, the Red Sox hit four HRs, and they weren’t Manny Ramirez or David Ortiz. Jed Lowrie, Youk, Mike Lowell, and Coco Crisp each had long balls to help power the Sox attack. It’s really nice to see Lowrie knock one out and go 3-4 while filling in for the injured Julio Lugo (headaches).

Other Notes:

• David Ortiz Batting Average Watch (after Sat.): 0-4, .234
• The Red Sox had 12 hits in Game 2, and five players had at least two hits while three players went hitless (Jacoby Ellsbury, Big Papi, Manny)

Lebron James had a much better game than his past two at Boston, although he did still struggle from the floor a bit. James still ended up with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 8 assists, and 4 steals. James got help from Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, and Joe Smith. Ilgauskas had 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 Assists. West and Szczerbiak added 21 points and 16 points respectively, and Joe Smith off the bench added 17 points. The Cavs took the early lead, going up by double figures early in the first quarter and never letting up. The Celtics were never able to come back any closer than 12 points.

The other team that played? The Boston Celtics? The NBA’s best road team in the regular season by going 31-10? No, that could not have been them out on the floor, but sadly it was. The Celtics had difficulty in this game the whole time. They could not keep up in points, rebounding, or any method of defense the Cavs put on them. Nothing seemed to go right from the get go, and although they made a few little runs in the second half, it was to no avail. Kevin Garnett lead the Celtics with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Paul Pierce added 14, Ray Allen had 10, Kendrick Perkins had 12 points and 7 rebounds, and James Posey had 11 off the bench. Rajon Rondo had a lot of difficulty in this one and just never seemed to find his groove in the game, which partly led to his only seven points in the game.

This game was hopefully not a display of the kind of game the Celtics will again play on Monday in Cleveland. They need to play as dominantly on the road as they do at home. This first game does not have me worried yet because they are still up two games to one. The goal was to at least come into to Cleveland and split the two games and hopefully advance after winning in game 5. The Celtics need to find that key component they have at home and use it on the road though. If the Celtics cannot do this and cannot win a game on the road, then I do not see them advancing as far as they are projected for the rest of the playoffs. Game four will can show us all that the Celtics have the ability to win a game on the road in the playoffs, and bring the anxiety level in Boston down.

Other Notes:

• Cleveland’s Ben Wallace, who left Thursday’s game after complaining of dizziness, was diagnosed with an inner ear infection. Despite his condition, he started the game and finished with 9 points and 9 rebounds.

Quarterbacks -

1. Tom Brady
2. Matt Cassell
3. Matt Gutierrez
4. Kevin O’Connell

Analysis: It’s no secret who ‘the man’ is for this group, but the 3rd round pick of O’Connell in the draft makes the backup roles quite interesting. My guess is that we see Matt Cassell traded before the regular season, seeing as he’s a free agent after the 2008 season and as we saw with the Falcons and backup Matt Schaub, teams will pay a decent price for a potential starting QB.

Runningbacks -

1. Laurence Maroney
2. Sammy Morris
3. Kevin Faulk
4. Heath Evans

Analysis: Of all the positions on the offense, runningback is the one where I see the most likely place that the Patriots will go out and get another guy. Maroney played well at times last season and is the starter from day one, but with Sammy Morris going down last year with injury, the Patriots really could use another jolt in the backfield. Faulk should be his usual self, utilized most of third down, but someone like Shaun Alexander would be a nice pickup. Don’t laugh, he has his money and is looking to join a winner for a chance at a Super Bowl title. He would be a monster near the goal line.

Wide Receivers -

1. Randy Moss
2. Wes Welker
3. Jabar Gaffney
4. Kelley Washington

Analysis: The re-signing of Randy Moss was huge for the offense. It wouldn’t have made sense for Moss to leave after the year he had with Tom Brady, and said quarterback would have been understandably at a loss as to what the team would do this season. The Pats lost Donte Stallworth to free agency, but it doesn’t seem as though we’re losing all that much in sliding in Jabar Gaffney. It’s a make or break year for Chad Jackson; this is the perfect opportunity for him to learn from veterans, step in and earn his place on the team. He has the size to dominate in the NFL, he just needs to stay healthy. Welker should have another huge year. I don’t expect 23 TDs from Moss, but maybe if he takes it easy in the regular season he’ll be more rested for the playoffs; he was noticeably worn down in the playoffs and the Super Bowl.

Tight Ends -

1. Ben Watson
2. Marcus Pollard
3. David Thomas

Analysis: The signing of Pollard is a little odd simply because the Patriots have spent much of the decade owning him but must have seen something which lead them to sign him. Kyle Brady is gone after a ho-hum season and David Thomas - if he can stay healthy - should bring more pass catching options from the TE position. The jury is still out on whether or not Ben Watson will ever become an elite NFL tight end, but his speed is unquestionable. If he improves his hands, he can take the next step.

Offensive Line -

1. LT Matt Light
2. LG Logan Mankins
3. C Dan Koppen
4. RG Stephan Neal
5. RT Nick Kaczur

Analysis: Look, we all know the Pats O-line got owned in the Super Bowl. Koppen, Light and Mankins dominated the left side all season yet the Giants super big and quick defensive line ate us for lunch and Tom Brady was tasting turf all night. We can’t forget that for the first 18 games of the season, this was arguably the best unit in the NFL. Light is getting a little long in the tooth and Neal struggled with injuries in 2007 (including the aforementioned SB) so backups Russ Hochstein and Ryan O’Callaghan need to be able to step in when needed.

Final Thoughts: Overall, the 2008 Patriots offense should look a lot like the 2007 unit, which bodes well. The only significant loss is Stallworth, and if the Pats can add another runner to the back field and Chad Jackson can start living up to the hype, they should be able to run and throw all over the AFC again in 2008. Keep checking back for the defensive depth chart for the 2008 Pats.

Sox Stud of the Game:

Kevin Youkilis did go just 1-5, but the one hit was a key two-run blast to give the Sox a comfortable lead and take Verlander off his rhythm. He’s now 9-21 (.429) with five HRs and 11 RBIs in his last five games.

Diamond Dud of the Game:

Julio Lugo went 0-3 to drop his average to .286. He truly has become the goat of Boston though, especially after his recent comments:

“I don’t care, but sometimes it would be nice to say something positive,” he said. “But all the time it’s negative things, you know? Sometimes, you know, people should say something that’s positive. But every time it’s something negative . . . bring it up, bring it up, bring it up. Why?…I understand you (the media) are going to write whatever you want . . . but I come here every day and bust my ass . . . if things don’t work out sometimes, that’s the way it’s going to be. You understand? But sometimes you bring up the same things . . . You get tired of that.”

So the negativity in this town sucks…where have I heard that before? Rick Pitino, that’s who! Julio, if the negativity in this town sucks, then why don’t you take your $9M salary, and go somewhere else!

Other Notes:

• David Ortiz Batting Average Watch: 2-5, .239
• Mike Lowell went 2-5, bringing the average up to .260. (He’s getting closer to 100%)

The Cavs started the game with some hot shooting and jumped out to a 21-9 lead but the Celts finished the first half on a 35-15 run to take an eight point lead into the break. The Celts broke it open in the third, outscoring the Cavs 26-15 to take a 70-51 lead after three. Here are some thoughts about the game:

1. The bench came through yet again. The Boston bench outscored the Cavs bench 34-17 and the second unit came in after the Cavs jumped out to a lead and settled things down. Sam Cassell, James Posey and Leon Powe all played huge minutes and kept the Celts in the game.

2. Sam Cassell is living in the mid-90s. He played some big quality minutes in the late first/early second and really helped settle things down. He’s at his best when he’s keeping the pace high and creating shots off the dribble. His nine points and two assists helped big time.
3. James Posey also turned the game around, as he lit up the scoreboard in many different categories, including a beautiful steal/dunk off LeBron James.
4. Speaking of King James, the officials really kept him in the game. I’m not one to bash officials - especially in a blowout - but they were very weak at times. In the second, James Posey was called for a while when on the replay RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE OFFICIAL, it was crystal clear that LeBron lost control stepped out of bounds. For most of the second, all LeBron needed to do was charge the lane and he would get a call. Pierce was fouled clear as day when he drove the lane and needed to leave the game for treatment - but no call. The Celts won the game despite the officials.
5. If not for Big Z, the Cavs would have been blown out of the building. The Cavs were dominated on the boards to the tune of 45-37 and were very limited on fast break points, yet Z made his first six shots to pace the Cavs. He finished with 19 points.
6. It was nice to see Ray Allen get on track in the third quarter after going scoreless in the first half. He pumped in 11 points in the third and finally started jacking up some shots. There will be a time in this series where he takes a big shot for this team.
7. Now we get to see what the Celts can do on the road. They now travel to Cleveland for a game Saturday night and the place should be rocking. If the Celts can take just one of the two games in Cleavland, this series could be over after five. There’s still a long way to go.

Boston Red Sox starter Curt Schilling played long toss before Thursday’s game against the Detroit Tigers, continuing his rehabilitation from a shoulder injury.

Schilling also tested that shoulder by playing catch on flat ground Tuesday but wasn’t ready to begin throwing off a mound. “He did good. He looked good,” manager Terry Francona said. “It’s a good step for him. But he’s not ready yet.” The 41-year-old right-hander threw 25 balls from 60 feet away.

Wakefield and Timlin Do Something Special

Tim Wakefield and Mike Timlin had no idea they were making history Tuesday night. For the first time in baseball’s modern era, the Boston Red Sox had two pitchers over 40 combine on a shutout. Wakefield gave up just two hits in eight innings and Timlin got the final three outs of a 5-0 victory over the Tigers.