Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Fenway Park for Game 5 of the "Big Series."

I live and work in Boston, and as you have undoubtedly heard: The mood has grown increasingly somber in "the hub" over the last 72 hours. Sit back with the beverage of your choice, and enjoy the game!!

The facts: Lidle vs. Wells. Neither Posada nor Giambi in the lineup.

We join in progress:

Top 2nd, 0-0
Alex pops to Pena in right, slamming his bat down
Robinson SAFE!!! with a 2b
This is a huge strike zone today
Craig out on a deep fly ball
(An overcast sky and Bernie shows a good eye)
Bernie grounds out to Loretta

Bottom 2nd:
In case you're wondering, my boss is on vacation, it's an MLB TV festival!!
Lowell with a big fly...foul!!!
Lowell K's swinging
Wily Mo K's swinging...Lidle tries to channel Maddux
Javy L. harmlessly pops to Lidle...nice inning

Top 3rd:
Sal K's on a sweeping curve
Green grounds to short
Melky grounds to short
Wells has an 86mph fastball and a 72mph curve...I don't believe that this will take him very far today.

Bot 3rd:
Cora K's on a ball in the dirt, Sal guns him at 1st
Crisp pops to Melky...Lidle's confidence grows with every pitch
Loretta flies to Melky, who makes the out on the medium-run...nice inning again!!
(In fairness to Crisp, the expectations placed on him this year were massively unrealistic, i.e., to fully replace Damon)

Top 4th:
Jetes smashes a curve past Lowell, 1B
Boston announcers showing Jetes huge respect...how couldn't you??
Bobby A. walks (shocking, I know)
Come on Alex...he promptly hits into a DP, Jetes to third
Cano grounds out

(I remain a believer in Alex, he will make us forget his relative struggles)

Bot 4th
After 2 excellent pitches, Lidle covers 1st and gets the throw from Craig...nice, Ortiz is out
Ramirez walks...but like Ortiz, Lidle dealt with him in a very crafty manner
Mirabelli grounds to Wilson who gets Manny at 2d, no DP
Lidle walks Lowell
Pena walks on a curve inside...
Conference on the mound...
Unit in the dugout...looking stern as usual
YES...Javy Lopez grounds to Cano, bases loaded comes up empty for the Red Sox.

Top 5:
Full count to Craig, he grounds to short
Bernie bounces out to short
Sal grounds to Lowell but almost beats out the throw...I'm kidding...

Bot 5:
Between Lidle and Wells, there's enough junk being thrown to top off a landfill
Cora reaches out for a curve just over Craig's glove, a single
Crisp sac bunts Cora to 2nd...
Alex makes a diving stop on Loretta, nails him at 1st, Cora to 3rd.
Torre decides to IBB Ortiz.
Kapler in for Manny???!!!?!
Alex stabs a sharp grounder and beats Cora to third...
Well done all around!

Top 6:
Green K's on a big curve
Melky drops a line drive in short CF, a single
(I forgot to mention the PSA for Varitek's celebrity putt-putt tournament for charity, in case anyone's interested...)
Jetes hits a screaming line drive right at Pena
Melky filches 2nd...
Bobby hits an opposite field gapper, Yanks 1-0, a double
Not a bad trade...
Alex finds the hole between 3rd and short, because LF in Fenway is so small, Bobby stops at third
Cano lines a soft one to short

Bot 6:
Hinske K's on a stealthy change from Lidle
ACCKKKK...Green runs Cano over on a weak popup, Lowell safe
Green can't handle Pena's sharp grounder, 1st and 2nd
Octavio and Mike M. warming in the Yankees pen...
Alex steps on third with Lopez's weak grounder..no possibility of a DP
YES>>>>Cora weakly grounds to Green who steps on 2nd
Lidle has walked too many but has been extra filthy with his 65-85MPH inventory of pitches

Top 7:
Pena catches Wilson's popup
Bernie K's on a questionable outside fastball
Sal grounds to Lowell

Get up and stretch:
"From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans, white with foam..."

Bot 7: Dotel in the game
Crisp weakly to Alex, one gone
Loretta single
Cue the "Halloween" Theme...Torre has gone for the LOOGY
Myers K's the dangerous Ortiz, who looked meek in this at bat
You thought Scot Shields had a rubber arm? Here comes Proctor...
Proctor throwing 95...his shoulder is bionic...
Kapler fouls off 4-5 pitches in a row, but is retired on a popup to Green...fantastic...

Top 8:
Nick Green with a laser off the wall, a double
Melky sac bunts Nick to 3rd
Wells is gone...if you told me he'd be the most effective starter for Boston in this series, I would have laughed at you...he scattered 6 hits over 7 1/3 with one run...
Foulke's in...sit on the change Jetes!!
Nick Green scores on a wild pitch, 2-0 Yankees!!!
Jetes K's (on a change)
Abreu K's swinging

Bot 8:
Proctor still in, Hinske flies to Damon in CF
Lowell grounds to short
Pena takes Proctor opposite field, 2-1 Yankees
Javy Lopez pops out to Wilson in foul ground

Top 9:
Alex hits a high pop-up to short
Cora makes a fine play at short to get Cano
Wilson hits a deep fly ball to center, not deep enough

Bot 9:
Farnsworth is in for the close
Cora - medium fly ball to Damon
Crisp - K's on three pitches, 2 fastballs and a slider
Loretta lines out to Cano

Final Score: Yankees 2, Red Sox 1
AL East standings: Yankees 6.5 games ahead of Boston, 9.5 ahead of Toronto.

The Yankees have swept the Red Sox in five straight.

Good afternoon from Boston....