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It's time to end an era.

After much thought, after much debate and after much of my own butt-kicking, I have decided to step down from Over the Monster and SB Nation as a whole.

This decision was not an easy one to make, and there's been plenty that has influenced this move. In the smack-dab middle of the summer, I was offered a job in Connecticut that I would have been a dummy not to take. Then, not even two months later, I was offered a sports writing job back in New Hampshire -- another situation where I would have kicked myself if I said no. That's what I'm doing now, but over the course of that time -- between learning new jobs and moving and all that "fun" stuff -- I've had little time for OTM.

At this point, if I can't give OTM my all, then I shouldn't give it anything. OTM has been my baby since February of 2005 and I've worked hard at making it as great as I could. At this point I'm not doing OTM justice and that just kills me.

I'm at a crossroads in my life and as badly as it hurts to back away, I have to do it. I'm the kind of guy that needs to give everything in my life 100 percent. Right now OTM isn't getting a huge percentage. Along with my new job (that I love), I'm living in a new city (if you can call it that) with a new relationship, a purchase of a house on the way and a non-profit foundation I've created that is getting off the ground and is extremely important to me.

So it's time for a change.

I'm not sure what the future of OTM is. The powers that be -- the head honchos of SB Nation -- are figuring that out as we speak. If I had control over it, I know exactly what I'd do, but right now it's out of my hands.

But do not worry: OTM will be as great as it ever was no matter what happens. Whether you continue to just see the same friendly faces or a couple of new names are tossed into the mix, OTM is great because it is in great hands from top to bottom.

I want you to know, though, something that I have said since the beginning: OTM is not great because of me or Ben or E or anyone else that writes for this site. OTM is great because of YOU, the readers. You, the community members, are the heartbeat of OTM. You are what makes this site go. Don't be foolish to think it's us; it's all on you guys and it's all on you to keep OTM as great as it possibly can be.

I've been doing OTM since February 22, 2005. That's nearly six years of Red Sox blogging at SB Nation. Previously to OTM, I started a Red Sox blog called "Red Sox Haven" and that's how it all started. I was just a kid then at 17 years old and now ... well, I'm still a kid. I'll always be a kid no matter how old I am and I hope you could all get that through my writing.

When it comes to the Red Sox, I still love the Red Sox, as I'm sure was never in doubt. But to be honest, something changed in my Red Sox fandom as a blogger. It's hard to put a finger on what that was. And it's also hard to put a finger on if it's good or not. But now I am no longer a Red Sox blogger and my fandom will change. To be honest, I think I will now be more of a "fan." I'm excited for that. I've missed that.

You may see me again. Who knows, right? I've come to learn in life that you never rule anything out because anything can happen. In the meantime, if you still want to see my writing, I'll be updating my resume site periodically -- www.randybooth.com. I don't know how often I'll update it, but I have a feeling I'll have the urges to do so once in a while. If you're ever in the Claremont, N.H./Windsor, Vt., area you can always pick up an Eagle Times, too -- that's my new day (more so night) job.

I've already thanked the head honchos at SBN. I've thanked the guys that work here. So now I want to thank you: thank you for everything you have ever done for OTM. Thanks for doing that one comment in that one Open Thread. Thanks for those 1,300 FanPosts. Thank you for reading and doing nothing more. Thank you for saying the words "Over the Monster" to a friend once. Thank you for all that. Thank you for making me smile. Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for making my day(s). Thank you for being my Internet family. Thank you for doing it all.

Just thank you.

I will end this with something I've said a million different times on this blog and I hope is said until the day OTM ceases to exist:

Go Sox!

You can't win 'em all, but it seems like you do if Jon Lester is on the hill.

Lester spun a gem Sunday to help the Red Sox beat the Blue Jays, 6-0. He gave up four hits, four walks and struck out four. Lester has won seven of his last eight games and, more importantly, helped the Red Sox avoid a sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays.

More on Lester: he has struck out 46 in his last 34 innings. He's just been really good, one of the AL's best. Today's game marks his 18th win of the season.

The offense was aided by home runs from Victor Martinez and J.D. Drew. Vic's was a solo shot in the fourth to give the Red Sox the 1-0 lead while Drew's was a two-run bomb in the fifth to put Boston up 6-0. Also in the fifth, Daniel Nava had an RBI ground-rule double and Bill Hall scored on a Yamaico Navarro single. Daniel Nava also score on the same play, but it was off an error in left.

Scott Atchison (1 IP, 1 H, 1K) and Robert Coello (1 IP, 1 K) held down bullpen duties successfully.

The Sox kick off a three-game set Monday against Baltimore. A sweep would be nice.

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Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Jon Lester threw seven shutout innings and was backed by home runs from J.D. Drew and Victor Martinez, as the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-0, to avoid getting swept.

Lester (18-8) gave up four hits, walked four and struck out four for the Red Sox, who had dropped the first two games of the series.

Shaun Marcum (12-8) allowed six runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings for the Blue Jays, who were shut out for the eighth time this season -- and third time by Boston.

Win one ..

Please?

Jon Lester faces off against Shaun Marcum in today's 1:35 game:

The lineups are not official yet as the Red Sox are waiting for Adrian Beltre, who went to the hospital to have his wrist checked out.

Oh dear! Beltre's wrist is feeling ill!

1. Ryan Kalish, CF
2. J.D. Drew, RF
3. Victor Martinez, C
4. David Ortiz, DH
5. Mike Lowell, 1B
6. Jed Lowrie, SS
7. Bill Hall, 2B
8. Daniel Nava, LF
9. Yamaico Navarro, 3B

(Thank you, every beat writer with a twitter account)

For those keeping track, that is three Opening Day starters. High fives all around!

No one can really figure it out: after tearing his MCL and ACL in his left knee in week 17 last season, Wes Welker is back on the field healthy and playing football. Pretty darn good football, at that.

Well, the cat's out of the bag. Apparently Wes Welker made a deal with the devil.

Hey, whatever wins ballgames, right?

(H/T @RapSheet)

The fact that Jon Lester is a great pitcher is one thing all in itself. But add to it the fact that Jon Lester is a left-handed pitcher, and that's just a whole new ballgame.

Being that most of the amazing pitchers in baseball history write with their right hand, being a great lefty is even more special. And now Lester -- at just 26 years of age -- is on the cusp of joining the most elite lefties in baseball history.

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Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Clay Buchholz worked seven crisp innings and Victor Martinez drove in a pair of runs to lead Boston past Seattle, 5-1, to complete a three-game sweep.

Buchholz (16-7) yielded a lone run on four hits while walking three and fanning six for the Red Sox, who have won four in a row.

"I felt like I had some good life on the fastball and my curveball was better than it has been all season," Buchholz said. "After my last start, I wanted to come out here and throw as many innings as I could and have sort of a bounce back game. That's all I wanted to do."

Marco Scutaro went 3-for-4 and scored twice, while Ryan Kalish was 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI for Boston, which took five of seven at Safeco Field this season.

David Pauley (2-8) pitched well but took the loss after yielding a pair of runs -- one earned -- on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts over six frames for Seattle, which has lost seven straight.

"Everything was working pretty well today. My curveball was working and we stuck with it. I was throwing a lot of strikes and getting a lot of contact," Pauley said of his performance. "It's one of those things, you go up against a guy like Buchholz, he's having a phenomenal year. We fell a little short today but we'll pick it back up."

Russell Branyan clubbed a solo home run to right field with two outs in the first inning to put the Mariners on top.

Seattle had runners at second and third with nobody out and again with two outs in the second but could not score. The complexion of the inning changed when Casey Kotchman was picked off at third for the first out.

Adrian Beltre's home run into the upper deck in left field tied the game in the fourth.

The Red Sox took the lead for good in the sixth when David Ortiz doubled with one out, moved to third on a Beltre fly out and scored when Chone Figgins could not field Daniel Nava's ground ball.

A base hit by Josh Reddick and a walk to Lars Anderson loaded the bases before Yamaico Navarro struck out to end the inning.

Ryan Rowland-Smith took over for Seattle in the seventh and was greeted by a leadoff single from Scutaro that was followed by Kalish's ground-rule double. Both runners scored when Martinez poked a double just inside the right-field line.

Scutaro walked with two outs in the eighth and scored on a Kalish triple.

Seattle put runners at first and second with one out in the eighth but Hideki Okajima got Branyan to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Boston won five games in a season in Seattle for the first time since 1991. The Sox claimed the season series, 7-3...Buchholz is 9-3 in 14 road starts...Beltre extended his hitting streak to seven games, during which he has 12 hits...Boston has won six of its last eight road contests...Seattle has been held to three runs or less in 17 of its last 18 games...Figgins went 2- for-4 to extend his hit streak to eight games in which he has 16 hits. He has six multi-hit games during the streak...The Mariners are 33-33 when scoring first.

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(Sports Network) - Clay Buchholz tries to get himself back into the American League Cy Young discussion this evening, when the Boston Red Sox go for a sweep of their three-game set with the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.

Buchholz has been one of the best pitchers in the AL for the better part of the season, but is winless in his last three starts (0-2) and lasted just one inning in losing to the Oakland Athletics on Friday. The young right-hander surrendered five runs and five hits and walked four batters in the abbreviated outing to fall to 15-7 to go along with a 2.53 earned run average on the year.

"I was just missing with pitches, trying to go in and missing away," said Buchholz. "I felt like I've been off for seven days, that's basically what it felt like. It didn't really feel comfortable throwing in the bullpen. Whenever you get out on the mound during the game, adrenaline kicks in."

Buchholz has faced the Mariners just once in his career but did not get a decision, allowing three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 frames.

Boston made it three straight wins on Tuesday, as David Ortiz's three-run homer capped a two-out rally in the eighth inning and lifted the Red Sox to a 9-6 victory.

Ortiz finished with two hits for the Red Sox, who have won five of their last eight games, and reached the 30-homer mark for the sixth time in a Boston uniform. Only Ted Williams has more in franchise history.

"It means a lot," Ortiz of reaching 30 homers. "I'm not even close to what Mr. Williams was, or means for this organization. He played for so many years and did so many great things. When people mention your name right next to him, it's a huge compliment for me."

Adrian Beltre went 3-for-4 with a double for Boston, setting the team record for most extra-base hits by a third baseman (71) while also setting a new career-high in doubles (42).

Jed Lowrie added his first career multi-homer game, blasting his ninth and 10th career long balls in the victory, while Rich Hill (1-0) earned his first win since June 19, 2009 while with Baltimore after getting the final out of the seventh.

Franklin Gutierrez finished 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI for the Mariners, who scored more than three runs at home for the first time since August 6. Over its last 16 games in its home park, Seattle had tallied three or fewer runs, the longest single-season streak in the majors since 1920.

Russell Branyan also drove in a pair of runs for Seattle, while Chone Figgins had four hits in the loss. Ichiro Suzuki went 3-for-4 with four runs scored and an RBI to raise his season hit total to a major league-best 189.

Seattle will pin its hopes tonight on righty David Pauley, who is 2-7 with a 4.39 ERA. Pauley did not get a decision on Friday in Anaheim, as the Angels reached him for three runs in 6 2/3 innings of Seattle's 4-3 loss.

Pauley lost to the Red Sox on August 25 and is 0-2 with a 3.97 ERA in two starts against them.

Boston is 6-3 against Seattle this season.

Hooray for early games! Sort of...

The Red Sox and M's will finish their series with a 6:40 p.m. EST game tonight. It's a helluva lot better than those 10 p.m. starts. You know, when the Sox are in contention, 10 p.m. games are bearable. When they're not, they're a much tougher pill to swallow.

Clay Buchholz goes for the Sox while the Mariners send out former Sox ace (ha!) David Pauley:

Here are your lineups, featuring four Red Sox rookies:

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(Sports Network) - Daisuke Matsuzaka tries to rebound from an awful effort his last time out when the Boston Red Sox continue their three-game series with the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.

Matsuzaka was hammered by the Tampa Bay Rays last Tuesday for eight runs and eight hits in just 4 2/3 innings, dropping him to 9-5 on the season, while raising his earned run average to 4.70.

"Lack of command caught up with him and kind of caught up in a hurry," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said of his starting pitcher.

Matsuzaka has faced the Mariners seven times and is 2-1 against them with a 3.65 ERA.

Boston can only hope its Japanese hurler gives the type of effort Jon Lester provided it with in the opener on Monday. Lester pitched eight impressive innings, leading the Red Sox to a 5-1 win.

Lester (17-8) allowed just one run on three hits and three walks, striking out 12 for the Red Sox, who won for the fourth time in seven games. The lefty, who is 6-1 over his last seven starts, also struck out 10 or more for the fourth straight outing, a career-best.

"I was able to locate a fastball and get ahead," Lester said. "That's big for any pitcher, getting ahead and being able to do what you want to with it. You get a couple runs on the board and you can sit back a little bit and minimize damage. It makes things easier, takes pressure off you so you can go out there and pitch."

Ryan Kalish added a two-run homer, while Lars Anderson hit his first career double and knocked in a run.

Chone Figgins had two hits, and Casey Kotchman drove in the lone run for Seattle, which has lost five straight. Doug Fister (5-12) was victimized for five runs, six hits and a walk in 7 1/3 frames to take the loss.

"I thought Fister was good tonight," said Mariners manager Daren Brown. "You take away the second inning, after that, he only gave up one hit going into the eighth. I thought he pitched well, just a couple of mistakes the one inning. Other than that I thought he was solid."

Heading to the hill for the Mariners this evening will be left-hander Luke French, who is 4-5 on the year with a 3.90 ERA. French absorbed the loss on Wednesday in Oakland, as he allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

This will be his first-ever appearance against the Red Sox.

Boston is 5-3 against Seattle this season.