Another game where we come out strong and take a 2-0 lead on a dong. This time, our starter actually pitched well. But we still lose, 6-3. Mike Napoli must be some kind of dong robot. This guy has more home runs at Fenway Park than any other (aside from the two parks that have been his home park where he plays half his games). And that includes the parks of his division rivals, where he plays 9 or 10 times a year, as opposed to 3 or 6 times a year in Boston. He has 6 homers in Oakland, where he has about 2.5 times more at bats than at Fenway, where he now has 8 homers. Overall against the Red Sox, he's got 15 homers in his last 27 games, going back to 2008. By comparison, A-Rod has 15 homers...in his last 62 games against the Red Sox.

Napoli in games against the Red Sox:

2008: 1 game, 1 HR
2009: 6 games, 3 HR
2010: 9 games, 3 HR
2011: 9 games, 5 HR
2012: 2 games, 3 HR

So if you're thinking this guy homers in "every game against us," you're actually about half right.

Anyway, it's not a horrible loss, but any loss in this crappy Twit-ciety means THE END OF THE WORLD. It is a good thing that nobody in our division is running away early, which would make it look worse than it is and give us a bigger hole to crawl out of. We're 2.5 back with 150 to play.

Why does the official NESN schedule only assume a 3-hour window for Red Sox games? Add to that the fact that the games start at 7:10, and they're thinking each game will be played in 2:50. Do you know how many Red Sox games last year came in under 2:50? About a fifth of them--32. Why do I care? Because sometimes I record the game if, say, I'm watching a sweet Bill Hicks documentary for free online with Kim. Sometimes I remember to tape the next show, and sometimes 2 or 3 shows after the game is "over" starting at 10:00. Sometimes I don't remember, and I miss the all-important end of any game that runs beyond 10:00. Long story short, tonight I went to watch the 6th through 9th innings of my recorded game and ended up having it cut off just as the bottom of the 9th was starting. (As a bonus, for some reason it started me not at the beginning of the recording, but a minute before the end! So I was robbed of the 6th through the top of the 9th, AND it stopped for good about 2 pitches later.) So I just had to check to see what happened. I've been trying to cut down my superstition habit to a don't-step-on-a-crack a day, so I'm not gonna say they could have won had I been able to see it, but come on, I would have at least liked to watch. I pay for this cable and extra for the DVR.

You can tell me it's my fault for not recording a bunch of extra shows at the end of each game--but NESN could make it easier for everybody by making the game window go 7:00-10:30, at least. Or,--and I'm looking in your direction, technology--how about making it so NESN presses a button on their end when a live event ends, and my recording won't stop until that signal is received? Of course, then if it was the bottom of the 9th and we're down by 1 with the tying run at the plate and two outs, and the recording's clock has clicked down to 15 seconds, well I'll know the next pitch will end the game and we'll lose. Boy do I hate that. I got screwed once when I had my sister tape a Jets-Bills game in like 1996. The Bills lined up for a tie-breaking field goal in the final seconds. And the VHS tape's timer was ticking down to its final seconds. Obviously no overtime happened--I knew right then she'd stopped the recording right after the game, which is about to happen with this field goal I now know will be made. So maybe they could have a feature where they automatically add a randomized amount of minutes (minimum: 20) to the end of a game recording. Verizon employees: As Mr. Lippman once said to Elaine, "this is the kind of idea you should be coming in with!"

P.S. I know, I know. I should have known the Jets would lose before the game even started.