Monkey see, monkey do

So Dustin Pedroia is back at it, not only taking grounders from his knees, but having a catch while sitting on a stool. Again, I love the spirit and the fact that he's at least following doctor's orders to stay off his feet, but I'm not going to be happy when he injuries himself again because of his unconventional rehab.

Chase Utley, meanwhile, is not going to be outdone by his SoxandPhils keystone counterpart. He announced today that he won't miss the full eight weeks originally estimated. He sounds like he's pushing the envelope, but hasn't been seen doing anything weird like Pedroia:

"Yeah, I might be back before eight weeks," he said. "Obviously, knowing that I've come back from an injury before and I've been successful, yeah, that's good to know. I'm going to do everything that I'm allowed to do, up until the point that I play, in being ready. Once this (cast) comes off, I'll be able to take ground balls. Obviously, keep this (hand) out of the way. The only thing I won't be able to do is throw or hit. I'm going to try to stay in shape as best I can."

Huh? Geoff Jenkins, who had a huge leadoff double in the second half of Game 5 of the 2008 World Series, signed with the Brewers to retire. I would have no problem with this, except that he hasn't done anything in baseball over the past year. I think a one-year statute of limitations for a sign-and-retire is appropriate.

Tonight's games: Christine and I are almost caught up after a very long week, so we actually saw a few pitches as Roy Halladay pitched a complete game 3-1 win over the Braves. It was Gary Matthews and Tom McCarthy's birthday. Happy birthday Sarge! The Red Sox and Rays are tied at 5 in the 6th.