When I found out that the Red Sox' World Series trophy was coming to a Triple A game in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, I had to get tickets. They had brought the trophy to a PawSox game earlier in the year, but it was a day I already had tickets at Fenway. This time the Red Sox were on the road, so we could go. While I had seen the trophy enough times to practically be considered a groupie, the two friends I go to a lot of my games with had not seen it yet in person. We arrived early and went in as soon as the gates opened. The trophy was on display in center field, near the grassy berm where people can sit for the game, overlooking batting practice. We posed for pictures, then went to stake out some good seats in the general admission section. That's one of the things that makes McCoy a good destination if Fenway's sold out. Onsite parking is free for those who arrive early enough (even the overflow lots down the street are only $2 or $3) and general admission tickets are $6. And most of the players will be familiar to fans of the major league club.

Kevin Youkilis was back down in Pawtucket at the time, a casualty of the roster numbers. He was starting at first today, hoping to add some versatility so he could get more playing time the next time he got called up. (Another good thing about McCoy: Unlike at the Spinners game, the fans knew to say "Yoooouuuuk" when he came up. I'm sure they would have known who Mookie Wilson was, too.) Mark Bellhorn was here on a rehab stint, but he had been struggling as badly here as he had with the Red Sox this year. Catcher Kelly Shoppach had been with the Red Sox earlier in the year when Doug Mirabelli had been on the D.L. Adam Hyzdu had had several stints in the Red Sox organization, including some time in the majors at the end of 2004 and late July of 2005. Shortstop Alejandro Machado would go on to earn a promotion to the majors in September. I knew left fielder George Lombard from spring training. And I was interested in seeing top prospect Dustin Pedroia at second base.

That day Abe Alvarez was starting. He had been with the team in 2004 briefly (one spot start) and as a result had picked up a championship ring. He gave up two singles and a home run in the first inning, starting his teammates out with a 3-0 deficit. But he recovered in time to strike out the side in the second and wound up with nine strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings of work. In the second, Lombard got one run back with a towering home run high onto the roof of the building in center field that's painted green to serve as the batter's eye. (I remembered seeing him in spring training in the same batting practice rotation as Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, and he had been hitting them as far as Big Papi.) Pedroia drew the PawSox closer with a solo homer in the third. He also walked twice, for a nice day at the plate. In the fifth, they loaded the bases on Luis Figerroa's single and walks to Machado and Pedroia. Bellhorn grounded out, but it knocked in a run. Youk followed with his second walk of the day, and Hyzdu and Shoppach each had hits, knocking in three more to give the PawSox a 6-4 lead.

Cla Meredith, whom we had watched surrender a grand slam in his major league debut in Boston in May, entered in the sixth, and pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, giving up only one hit. The PawSox added to their lead in the seventh, when Bellhorn's hit knocked in Machado, who had doubled. It was Mark's second RBI of the day, and I hoped that meant he was finally getting back on track. Hyzdu's homer later in the inning drove in a couple more. Tim Bausher pitched the eighth, and Jonathan Papelbon came in for the ninth. We had been at his major league debut a week earlier. After making the start that day, he had been sent back down to work on pitching in relief, since that's the area in which the major league team needed the most help. He worked a quick and efficient ninth, needing only six pitches to induce three fly outs. The PawSox game had started at 1:00, but the Red Sox were in Minnesota so their game wasn't until 2:00. They showed us highlights during breaks in our game, and when we got to the car it was 8-3 Red Sox in the sixth. After winning eight in a row beginning with the day Matt Clement got beaned, they had dropped the first two games against the Twins. But we caught the end of the game on the radio as we drove home, and they hung on to win, 11-7.

We were back at Fenway the next night for a game against the Texas Rangers. In the car on the way in, I heard on the radio that Bill Mueller had been scratched from the game with back spasms. Kevin Youkilis had been called back up, and Jose Cruz, Jr., had been designated for assignment after only three games with the Red Sox to make room. So I was surprised when the game started and Alex Cora was at third. What's the point of calling Youk up if they're not going to use him? I found out after the game that Mueller hadn't had the back spasms until batting practice, so by the time the decision was made, Youk had already suited up for his game in Pawtucket, and he drove up to Boston with his uniform on. He got stuck in traffic and didn't arrive until just before game time.

Wade Miller was pitching again, and it was starting to get painful to watch him. It was clear he had not fully recovered from the shoulder problems that had cut his season short last year. He was laboring through every outing, pitching slowly and deliberately and throwing a lot of pitches in every inning, giving me flashbacks to the John Burkett era. At this point in the season, I'd rather cut my losses with Miller and give Jonathan Papelbon a chance in the rotation. Miller gave up three runs in the first inning, just like Burkett used to. Luckily, the Red Sox offense was in full gear. With one out, Edgar Renteria singled and David Ortiz launched a two run homer. After two walks, Roberto Petagine's single knocked in the tying run, and Tony Graffanino's hit gave the Sox a 4-3 lead. But Miller gave up another run in the second, tying it back up at 4-4. The Rangers got two hits and a walk off Miller in the third, but thanks to a double play they didn't score. In the fourth they had runners at the corners with two outs, when Graffanino made a great catch of a tricky popup, reaching into the stands and diving onto the rolled-up tarp to end the inning. The Rangers combined three hits and a wild pitch to score another run and take the lead in the fifth, but Graffanino started an inning-ending double play to get out of it.

In the bottom of the fifth, Kevin Millar and Petagine singled, bringing Graffanino to the plate. He had already had two hits and a good defensive play, and I turned to my friends and said, "Watch this. Tony's going to have a big hit here and wind up the player of the game." Sure enough, he launched one over the Monster, giving the Sox the lead again. In Graffanino's next at-bat in the seventh, he was intentionally walked with two outs and a runner at third. He stole second and scored, showing he could help the team in every aspect of the game. I felt bad for Mark Bellhorn after everything he had done in the postseason last year, but he was injured and struggling in his rehab stint, and it looked like Graffanino had earned the spot at second for the rest of the year. Alex Cora had a good game, too, going 2-for-3 with a walk, but Youkilis came in to replace him at third in the top of the eighth. Curt Schilling was still getting a standing ovation as he walked out to the bullpen with Doug Mirabelli in the sixth inning every night (Mirabelli liked to pretend the applause was for him, waving and motioning for the crowd to be seated), but there was no need for the closer tonight. The Sox tacked on two runs in the seventh, and Jeremi Gonzalez, Mike Timlin, and Chad Bradford hung on to protect the win. I put the radio on for the drive home, and heard that Graffanino had indeed been the player of the game.