The Red Sox jumped in front 2-0 in the first inning against righthander Felix Hernandez, the American League Pitcher of the Month for June (3-0, 0.94), who gave up his first runs at Fenway in 16 career innings.
Dustin Pedroia reached on an infield hit, and David Ortiz, installed in the cleanup position, drew a two-out walk. Jason Bay ended an 0-for-17 tailspin with his first hit as an American citizen, lobbing a ground-rule double into the right-field stands for his league-leading 70th RBI of the season. Bay, a Canadian by birth, took the oath of citizenship yesterday at Faneuil Hall in Boston. Ortiz came home when Hernandez uncorked a wild pitch.

Tim Wakefield makes history tonight when he starts a game for the Red Sox for the 383rd time in his career, more than any other pitcher in the 109-year history of the club. He currently shares the record with Roger Clemens.
Wakefield will be opposed on the mound by the Mariners' Felix Hernandez, who has yet to give up a run in 15 career innings at Fenway Park and was just named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 3-0 with an 0.94 ERA in June.
The starting lineups:
Mariners
Ichiro Suzuki, rf
Russell Branyan, 1b
Jose Lopez, 2b
Ken Griffey, Jr., dh
Franklin Gutierrez, cf
Ryan Langerhans, lf
Chris Woodward, 3b
Rob Johnson, c
Ronny Cedeno, ss
Felix Hernandez, rhp

Red Sox
J.D. Drew, rf
Dustin Pedroia, 2b
Kevin Youkilis, 3b
David Ortiz, dh
Jason Bay, lf
Mark Kotsay, 1b
Jacoby Ellsbury, cf
Nick Green, ss
George Kottaras, c
Tim Wakefield, rhp

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Boston Celtics announced their roster for the 2009 Orlando Summer League, which will begin play on Monday, July 6.

Second round draft pick Lester Hudson, Gabe Pruitt, and 2008 draft picks J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker will participate in the Summer League entry. Filling out the roster will be Mike Sweetney, Nick Fazekas, Coby Karl, Robert Swift and Darius Washington. Rookie free agents on the roster include Chris Lofton, Bryce Taylor, Kevin Rogers and Bryan Mullins.

The Roster:

NO. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. College

57 Nick Fazekas F 7-0 235 Nevada

4 J.R. Giddens G 6-5 215 New Mexico

26 Lester Hudson G 6-3 190 Tennessee-Martin

46 Coby Karl G 6-5 215 Boise State

37 Chris Lofton G 6-2 200 Tennessee

38 Bryan Mullins G 6-3 190 Southern Illinois

13 Gabe Pruitt G 6-4 170 Southern California

58 Kevin Rogers F 6-9 250 Baylor

47 Bryce Taylor G 6-5 210 Oregon

56 Mike Sweetney F 6-9 270 Georgetown

59 Robert Swift C 7-1 270 Bakersfield HS (CA)

12 Bill Walker F 6-6 220 Kansas State

36 Darius Washington G 6-2 195 Memphis

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Free agency opens today and the Boston Celtics want Rasheed Wallace. They're apparently not playing their hand close to the vest on this one either.

Danny Ainge, the team's executive director of basketball operations and general manager told Comcast Sports Net the Celtics plan to meet with Wallace soon, though no time was set at the time of the interview.

Wallace, a 6-foot-11 forward, is a 14-year NBA veteran. He averaged 12 points and 7.4 rebounds per game this season. A four-time All-Star, he averaged 15 points and 6.9 rebounds for his career. He is also a career 34 percent 3-point shooter, and he has recorded 1.3 blocked shots per game for his 14 seasons.

The full interview will appear on Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight at 6:30 p.m.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Honoring the greatest entertainer of my lifetime, or anyone else's, while running down the "ABC's" of what happened in the sports world over the weekend:

Despite rumors galore (and an incorrect prediction in this space last week), the Celtics and Bruins didn't wheel and deal during their respective drafts. However, that doesn't mean there won't be major changes to either team's roster.

The C's, in particular, are rumored to be in the hunt for Jason Kidd, which indicates Rajon Rondo is still on shaky footing with Danny Ainge. Don't be surprised if sometime later this summer, Ainge tells Rondo to "Beat It" out of Beantown.

Thanks to a save Saturday in Atlanta, former Lowell Spinner Jonathan Papelbon now sits just one behind Bob Stanley for the top spot on the Red Sox all-time saves list. The BoSox closer might be a bit "Off the Wall," but when all is said and done, he's going to go down as one of the best closers in history, never mind just Boston.

How funny it is to hear Julio Lugo is unhappy with his diminished role on the Sox. Hey Julio, you have nobody to blame but "The Man in the Mirror." Besides, you must be a pretty "Smooth Criminal" to swindle the normally frugal Theo Epstein out of $36-million over four years.

The USA-Brazil match certainly was a "Thriller," but coughing up a two goal lead is about as "Bad" a choke job as you'll see in soccer.

If she wins three more matches this week, Venus Williams will tie "Billy Jean" King with 6 Wimbledon singles titles. (Yeah, I know...really starting to reach now!)

By turning left faster than all other competitors at Loudon, 19-year old Joey Logano became the youngest driver to ever win a Sprint Cup race. While he might be the hottest "Pretty Young Thing" in NASCAR right now, in some states Logano still isn't allowed to drive after dark without an adult in the car.

Watching Phil Smith move around a golf course, you'd never believe he could walk 18-holes, never mind shoot the scores he does. Yet there he was again Saturday, hoisting the Lowell City Golf Tournament trophy a 4th consecutive time and 5th time overall.

Despite saying before the tourney he was likely to give up competitive golf for a couple of years, Smith now says he'll very likely be back to challenge Doug Parigian's record of 5-straight titles. Apparently, Smitty's tune changed from "She's out of My Life" to "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough."

Finally, let me just say that Michael Jackson was as eccentric as they came. The dude did some flat out weird things, and that's without even getting into the sleepovers with young boys. But in the studio, on the dance floor and under a spotlight, there simply has never been a musical performer more talented or creative.

Rest in peace MJ.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns reached an agreement which will send center Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland to team with NBA MVP LeBron James, according to reports by both the Arizona Republic and Cleveland Plain Dealer websites.

Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic will reportedly go to Phoenix in the deal.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

A few peaceful protests while wondering if demonstrators are at least allowed to read sports blogs, now that Twitter and Facebook are being blocked in Iran:

-Being a firm believer in the "where there's smoke there's fire" theory, expect Danny Ainge to pull off something major, if not before Thursday's NBA Draft, then shortly thereafter. There are too many rumors involving the Celtics floating around out there to believe Dealer Danny's protestations to the contrary.

Personally, I wouldn't include both Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen in any package that brings back Amare Stoudemire. One of them, along with a few spare parts and draft picks? In a heartbeat!

-Watch for the Bruins to also do their share of wheeling and dealing prior to Saturday's NHL Draft.

Most likely big name to go? Phil Kessel, who while incredibly skilled, plays at a size and with a style that doesn't translate well to playoff hockey, or to a healthy, long-term career. If a very good puck-moving defenseman can be had in return, the Black and Gold have to think about pulling the trigger, especially in this day and age of salary caps.

-Forgive me for being cynical (thank you to all the cheats and enablers who've done this to the great game of baseball), but what kind of eye drops has David Ortiz begun using? Haven't seen a cure-all this effective since Windex in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

-My thoughts on Donald Fehr stepping down as Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director? Good riddance!

-Don't be so quick to give up on Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Has he been dreadful this year? You bet. Are his marathon 5 1/3 inning starts maddening? Enough to make you want to put a size 11 through the television set.

Just remember, those 33-wins in the first two years of his career didn't come by accident or by luck. Not many pitchers of any experience or background post those win totals in today's era. An awful lot of skill went into those wins. A little more rest, a little less stubbornness, and Dice-K will play a key role before the 2009 season is said and done.

-Don't want this to come off as crass, as Phil Mickelson has far more important things to worry about than a couple of missed putts. But the reason Tiger Woods has won 14-Majors versus only 3 for Mickelson has nothing to do with distance off the tee, nothing to do with ball striking ability and nothing to do with the short game.

It all comes down to the ability to consistently sink makeable putts when it counts. Plain and simple: Tiger makes them, Phil doesn't. You know it, I know it, and Mickelson probably knows it, too. Is there any doubt Woods would have drained the 3-foot putt on the 15th hole and the 8-footer on 17 that cost "Lefty" a chance at the U.S. Open?

And where did David Duval come from? Seems like he hasn't won a tournament since Iranian students were protesting FOR an Ayatollah.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

...there's usually fire.

That's my take on all the rumors out there about the Celtics and potential trades that could result in the likes of Ray Allen, Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo wearing different uniforms next year.

Danny Ainge has proven he's not afraid to shake things up, and he's also proven he knows when a team is not a legit championship contender, as evidenced by the fact he broke up the Jim O'Brien/Chris Wallace team that only a year earlier had gone to the Eastern Conference Finals. He might be on the verge of doing the same thing here.

Look, I'm as big of a C's fan as anyone. I bleed Green. But I'm a realist, and I can tell you that Kevin Garnett or no Kevin Garnett, they weren't going to beat the Lakers this year. They simply had NO bench, which is a killer in a long playoff run. Hell, they were so desperate, they prayed "Starbury" would be the answer.

I believe Ainge is going to make a big move this offseason, likely before the draft. Provided KG and Paul Pierce are healthy, they can compete next year with the addition of another key piece of the puzzle, provided that piece of the puzzle is young. Whether it takes Perkins, Rondo or Allen's expiring contract to bring in that puzzle piece remains to be seen.

Would I do Rondo for Stoudemire? Maybe, though I'd first explore what I could get for Perk. You could replace Perkins and Allen a lot easier than you could replace a young, top-tier point guard, which Rondo is poised to become with the addition of an outside shot and a little more consistency.

Danny Ainge has some tough decisions to make. The good thing is, he's shown he's not afraid to make them, and he's shown a knack for making the right one more often than not.

That's the view from here...how do you see things? Who would you trade and who would you try to bring in via trade or free agency? How about the draft? Or would you not make any moves and assume a healthy Garnett is all that's needed for another championship?

Rookie Daniel Bard pitched a scoreless ninth as the Red Sox beat the Marlins 8-2. Tim Wakefield went six innings to register his ninth win.

The Marlins picked up their second run of the game in the fifth on back-to-back, two-out doubles by Bonifacio and Coghlan, making the score 8-2. Bonifacio's ball appeared to have been a home run as it seemed to get over The Wall before a butterfingered fan dropped it back onto the field. But no one on the Marlins asked for a review by the umpires.

The Red Sox broke the game open with six runs in the fourth. David Ortiz ignited the rally with his fifth homer of the season and fourth in the last 10 days, lining a Volstad pitch into the Florida bullpen. After Mike Lowell lined to second, Ellsbury singled and stole his 27th base and raced home on a double by Green. George Kottaras singled home Green to put the Red Sox ahead 5-1.
A single by Dustin Pedroia and a two-out walk to Youkilis loaded the bases and finished Volstad.
Reliever Burke Badenhop walked Bay, the first batter he faced, to force in another run as the Red Sox finished batting around in the inning. Ortiz lashed a two-run single to center, his second hit of the inning, to cap the scoring and put the Sox comfortably ahead 8-1.

The Red Sox retook the lead in the bottom of the third against starter Chris Volstad. J.D. Drew lashed a one-out single and took second on a groundball to third by Kevin Youkilis. Jason Bay ripped a single to left, scoring Drew for his league-leading 62nd RBI of the season and putting the Sox ahead 2-1, before being caught in a rundown between first and second.