Thoughts leading up to Game 3

We're up 2-0 in the series, but as a true Red Sox fan, I'm worried leading up to Game 3.

Playing Ortiz at first base worries me. If I were the Rockies, I'd drop a few bunts up the first base line to test him. Even if Ortiz handles them well, I worry about the wear and tear at first on his bad knee. I'd much rather have Papi pinch hit for the pitcher (or Lugo) in the late innings. The situation isn't a surprise to Fancona. Hopefully, he's talked to Ortiz, worked him out at first and has figured out that this is the right move for the ballclub.

Has someone been working with Dice-K to help him (and Varitek) understand how the thin air affects his breaking pitches? Does he get to use the special Coors Field humidor balls when he's warming up? Have they used the special Coors technology to apply an indicator to the balls that turns blue when they've reached the correct weight?

I'm hoping Schilling's thrown his last pitches of the season (for obvious reasons) and it was great to see him hold the Rockies down for five and a third. Schilling's no longer the pitcher he was, but I hope Theo has a talk with him after the season and makes an offer for an incentive laden contract. I think he's making the right adjustments at this point in his career and has another one or two 12W 8L 4.25ERA seasons left in him.

I'm not sure who deserves the credit for giving Okajima a breather down the stretch (Theo, Francona, Farrell, Timlin) but I'm convinced that rest was exactly what he needed in order to be dominant once more in the postseason.

Yes, it's goofy, but I'm glad that "Tacoby Bellsbury" is responsible for the free tacos for everyone.

It was great to see Game 2 be a tight game from the first pitch to the last. Of course, it was even better to see the Sox prevail. Truth be told, I didn't see the top of the ninth. I know, I know. Blasphemy. My bowling team was in the playoffs and I was worried that if I stayed 'til the end of the game, I would have gotten to bowling late. I'm OK with missing out on things like that unless it affects friends of mine. I even volunteered to drive one of the people on the team who doesn't have a car to force my own hand a bit. I did get back to the car before Papelbon threw the first pitch in the ninth and listened to the rest of the game on the drive to the bowling alley.

A group of fifty or sixty Red Sox fans have been watching the playoffs at a bar in Seattle. We take over the entire back room and the staff generally closes the doors between the back room and the rest of the place because, apparently, we're rather vocal. For Game 2, there was a private party in the back room so we had to find space in the main section, which was awful. No couches, it took forever to get a drink, etc.

I'm not sure if it was the change in the atmosphere at the bar or the other fans' attitudes about the series with the Rockies, but there was a lot less life in the fans. That's not quite right. Focus. That's it. There was much less focus on the game. Even late in the game when Okajima was working out of the jam in the sixth inning, it didn't feel like the Sox fans were hanging on every pitch. That actually bothered me. I was tempted to head home and watch the game there. I stayed because watching the game with other fans felt more social and because my place is further away from the bowling alley. Let's hope there's a little more passion at Game 3 tonight.

Speaking of which, time for me to publish this post, grab my BP jersey (older blue one, never liked the red ones) and get going.