Today is the first anniversary of my blog. I started writing this on September 1, 2003. I went back and saw what I was writing about a year ago. Unsurprisingly, last September’s blog entries mostly dealt with the Red Sox pursuit of the AL Wild Card. I’ve done 126 blog entries over the past year and written about 50,000 words. I’ve really enjoyed keeping this record of what I’ve been thinking about over the past year and I’m looking forward to keeping it up.

Why keep a blog, anyway? Well, there are a couple of reasons for me. First, it allows me to give those of you interested enough to check in every once in a while the ability to see what’s up with me and what’s running through my head. Second, it gives me a permanent record of what I’m thinking about and what’s important at a specific point in time. I’m sure that a decade from now or more I’ll be really interested in seeing where I was in my life at a specific point in time.

Of course, what’s important right now is the Red Sox pursuit of the Wild Card and their surge back into contention in the American League East. The Sox beat down the Anaheim Angels 10-7 last night, with Manny Ramirez hitting two home runs, Dave Roberts a three run shot and Curt Schilling pitching another fine game for his 17th win of the season. It got needlessly close in the 9th when Mike Myers couldn’t get anyone out, loaded the bases and gave up a grand slam to the Angels backup shortstop Alfredo Amezaga to pull the Angels to within three runs. Do you think that Mike Scioscia was regretting having pulled Vladimir Guerrero, Adam Kennedy and Darin Erstad out of the game earlier when the Angels were down 10-1? Fortunately, Keith Foulke came in and slammed the door on the Angels to get his 25th save.

Almost as much fun as the Sox loss was the historic 22-0 beating administered to the Yankees by Cleveland in the Bronx. Javier Vasquez couldn’t get out of the 2nd inning. Omar Vizquel had six hits for the Tribe, tying an AL record for most hits in a nine-inning game. It was the most lopsided loss in Yankee history (that’s 101 years of baseball). Estaban Loaiza, acquired earlier in the season from the White Sox, came in to relieve late in the game and gave up six runs in three innings in a lifeless performance. Harold Reynolds and John Kruk called it disgraceful on Baseball Tonight - it didn’t even look like Loaiza was trying out there.

So the Sox are now 2 1/2 games up in the Wild Card race and only 3 1/2 back in the AL East. We’ll see if they can keep it going tonight behind Bronson Arroyo.

Jacque Jones of the Twins made one of the greatest catches I’ve seen in a while against the Rangers last night. It was a full extension, diving catch of a fly ball in right center, sliding across the Metrodome’s carpet. Hitting the astroturf just couldn’t have felt good. Jones, Torii Hunter and Shannon Stewart make up as good a group of defensive outfielders as there are in the game today.

J. started first grade today, and all went well. I met his teacher at the pool and she seems very nice. R. starts kindergarten tomorrow, so I’m staying home to see them both off on the bus and take a few pictures tomorrow morning. She has the same teacher J. had last year. We liked her a lot and I think R. will really enjoy school. Kindergarten and first grade! When the heck did my kids get old enough for this?

Later on tonight...Sox just won game 2 of the Anaheim series, 12-7. Sox went up early, Angels tied it 5-5 and then the Sox pulled ahead to win. Now they're up 3 1/2 in the Wild Card. The Yanks won in Cleveland, so the Sox are still 3 1/2 back in the East.

With the Sox holding such a big lead, I was also watching the Expos-Cubs game on ESPN. It was scoreless into the 11th, when Nomar scored a run on a wild pitch by Claudio Vargas. They must keep all the sharp objects out of the Expos dugout, because Frank Robinson looked like he wanted to slit his wrists. The Cubbies ended up winning 2-1.