It's Cliff Lee's world, we're just living in it

I used a similar title after Game 1 of last year's World Series about Cole Hamels, who has now officially been supplanted as the Phillies ace by Clifton Phifer Lee.

Lee's great night (complete game, 10 strikeouts) against the Yankees has been well-documented. It was a thing of beauty - especially against the Yankees, whose fans were surely taking the defending champs lightly.

Last year, we enjoyed watching Cole dominate the playoffs as Josh Beckett did the year before. Now, it's Cliff Lee's time. Hopefully, he can repeat either Beckett's World Series (he was used just once as the Red Sox swept) or Hamels (started Games 1 and 5 in the 4-1 win series win).

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Last night is over. Today is a new day and it's time to see whether Pedro Martinez (who used to own the universe) can follow up yesterday's rambling, but amusing, press conference with a virtuoso performance like he had against the Dodgers in the NLCS.

As a Red Sox fan, I've enjoyed many Pedro starts in which his opponents had no chance - it was just a matter of how few hits and many strikeouts he would get.

But also as a Red Sox fan, I've sat through some of the later-year Pedro starts where you wondered if he would last through three innings.

Through five, it's been closer to the former Pedro than the latter Pedro. He's allowed one run, a solo home run to Mark Teixeira, on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Unfortunately, A.J. Burnett, who I thought would be even more of a crapshoot than Pedro, is matching him. In the middle of the 6th, it's tied 1-1.

Look back at 2008: Christine and I took a look back at our experience during the first half of Game 5 as we headed back to watch the finale. I'd tell you how it turns out, but that's not posted until tomorrow's look back.

[Photo credit: US Presswire]