Dan Shaughnessy: Optimist (?!)

Last night's Sox loss to the Yanks in the Bronx was a desultory affair, but Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe is still uncharacteristically optimistic that the Sox are going to run away with the AL East. Too many years of being forged in the crucible of being a Sox fan prevents me from such blithe positivity, and if the Yanks pull another one out tonight the old panic may start to flutter, but the Curly Headed Boyfriend has a point -- historically this sort of lead holds up, and the parallels with 1978 simply are not applicable. Still, I hope the Sox can jump out to an early lead for Tavarez tonight. No sense worrying us needlessly, after all.