Since WM hasn't posted this yet, chowdah's got your weekly update!

I think I managed to do that without screwing up the formatting too bad. Yay me!

I went to the Red Sox game today, and have some notes to share about things that aren't seen in the box score. After all, there are plenty of other recaps out there.

And Now, an Assorted Chocolate Box of Game Notes (Wait, what?):

• I had seats behind home plate. They were in the 5th highest row in the park, but still behind home plate. (Actually, high up seats have a pretty good view)
• It was "Youth Sports Day" at Camden Yards. A kid had been randomly selected to throw out the first pitch. He was a member of the Columbia Clippers, who I swam for in the '07-'08 season. The pitch appeared to be right down the middle (well, close enough for a first pitch. It was better than most.)
• The weather was sunny and comfortable, and the game started pretty much right on time.
• The woman who sang the National Anthem and God Bless America was an opera singer. (Just wondering- why are only guys asked to take off their hats for the anthem?)
• There were LOTS of Sox fans, a decent number of O's fans, and some fans of various other teams, but there were some nearly empty sections in the stands (mostly the upper deck near the outfield).
• I overheard people near me talking about which cities didn't know much about baseball. One of them had once been keeping score when a fan of another team asked her what she was doing. She answered "Keeping score" , to which the other fan replied "You can do that?!?" They had just mentioned Seattle not being baseball-knowledgable, so I think the story is probably about Mariners fans.
• Seen in the stands: a Dave Trembley jersey, a sign reading "Bird's the Word", and a beachball being played with in the seats down near the RF line.
• There was a stand outside the stadium selling Sox and O's stuff. It was relatively reasonably priced, and my mom bought me a two-piece Sox swimsuit. Seriously.
•  I had a pit beef sandwich from Boog's BBQ. It came with a side of Boston baked beans.
• After Tek K'd to end the top of the 9th, some little kid shouted "Yay, we won" , though I'm not sure what team the kid was rooting for.
• After giving up the HR to Luke Scott, Dice-K went behind the mound and appeared to be playing with the infield grass or something, and there was some delay. Was he just stretching during a commercial break (like a goalie)?
• Relish won the hot dog race. If you've been to Camden Yards in the past few years you should know what that means.
• Ya know how people sometimes try too hard to pronounce Spanish words and names (they say it with a fake accent, basically)? The O's PA announcer was doing that.
• In today's edition of "This or That" (again, a video played on the scoreboard during commercials), more Orioles voted for James Bond than Austin Powers.
• Lastly, I bought a 16 month Orioles calendar to benefit the Maryland SPCA. It has adorable pictures of O's players (and Aubrey Huff) posing with dogs and cats. 
  

GO SOX! We probably won't win the division, but we're hot right now and the Yanks (whom we play after going to Kansas City) are cooling off. Let's keep it going!

(First off, I suggest reading this article if you don't already have a reasonably strong understanding of how MLB September call-ups work. It's a few years old and is against roster expansion, but does a good job of explaining the process.) 

I'm just curious as to if the NHL would ever try something like MLB's September roster expansion. There are many complications to this idea, but something could possibly be worked out. A major obstacle is that minor league hockey seasons don't end before the NHL's season. Also, there's the basic fact that baseball and hockey are very different sports and have different roster rules. But (yes, I love to start sentences with but/and) it still seems remotely plausible (insert Bettman joke here). Thoughts?

For those who haven't already heard, USG couldn't access the internet over the weekend. I saw this as my chance to attempt to do the Minor Lines, something I'd wanted to try. I admit that I'm not an expert on the minors, but I'll do my best.

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Yep- it's an off-day Gamethread. It's an experimental idea.

While the Sox have a day off before they continue their playoff hunt in Toronto, some of the teams that affect them are in action tonight. If the Rangers lose to the Twins tonight, Texas is tied with us in the Wild Card. If the Yankees lose to the Athletics, we're only seven games back in the East. Since these games give us a chance to gain ground while remaining idle, this is a thread for scoreboard watching and discussing the Sox (and it may possibly include some randomness as well). Essentially, it's a normal Gamethread, except that Boston isn't playing a game.

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After losing to the Tigers, the Red Sox are 65-49. They're a half game ahead of the Rangers in the Wild Card, but are tied in the loss column. They trail the Yankees by six games (pending the outcome of tonight's game) for the division, and are up four games on the third-place Rays. 

This month (August) is considered the make it or break it month for the Red Sox, with most games being against teams in strong contention. The Sox started off the month by winning a couple of games from the Orioles, but things quickly turned bad with a six game losing streak against division rivals Tampa and New York. But thanks to taking three of four from the Central leading Tigers, the Sox would be in the playoffs if the season ended today, and they have some confidence back. The losing streak served as a wake-up call, and the brawl fired them up.

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