No. 6

We momentarily step off the September roller coaster to tip our hat to a great Red Sox, Johnny Pesky.

The Red Sox brass finally acknowledged that their rules for retiring numbers was a disservice to John Michael Paveskovich, whom after a lifetime wearing No. 6 will get to see it hang from Fenway's rafters on Friday.

The shortstop was almost apologetic that the Red Sox were waiving the rule that only Hall of Famers get their numbers retired in Boston.

This is very flattering to me, because I wish I could've been a better player. ...

When I heard about it last night, I was told that the bosses wanted to see me and I thought I'd done something [wrong]. When I went to see what they wanted and they told me, of course I was flabbergasted.

I'm very flattered about the whole thing, because I didn't think I was in the Ted Williams or Bobby Doerr class. I played with some good guys and I'm quite flattered by this announcement and I'm really going to enjoy it. I hope I live long enough to really enjoy it.

Not only did Pesky get to enjoy his moment, he enjoyed watching the Red Sox clinch the playoffs for the fifth time in six years by beating the Indians 5-4. I haven't heard whether they're celebrating like morons, but I hope they keep it in check and realize that they haven't won anything yet.

They remain 2.5 games behind the Rays, who won their first game today but are losing a nightcap.

Phillies: For the second time in the last 12 games, the Phillies lost, 3-2 to the Braves. That coupled with a Mets win has the Mets 1.5 games back and Christine nervous again. If the Phillies blow this lead (not going to happen) it is, according to Christine, all my fault for publishing that she's been counting down to the division. I hereby rescind yesterday's post, but I am still confident that the Phillies will be hosting in the first round of the playoffs.

Whether that start should go to Cole Hamels is up for debate. Again, he didn't pitch badly (three runs, one of which was due to his own error), but you want to see the ace shut down a team like the Braves in the final week of the season. With a pitcher as good as Hamels, when it comes to a tight pennant race in September, the offense shouldn't matter. As long as they score one, he should find a way to win.

We'll see if Brett Myers can rebound and get it done tomorrow.

And somebody at Comcast was asleep at the wheel. When the cameraman was panning for crowd shots as Scott Eyre was entering the game in the 8th, a fan flipped the bird, and no, he wasn't rooting for the Iggles.

[Photo credit: Boston Globe]