As the Sox are mired in the middle of a rough patch, I’m heading to Red Sox Nation (south) for the weekend to catch the games.

In other news, the NYT reports Ortiz and Manny both tested positive in 2003. If someone has a hold of this list of people who tested positive, why does it seem they are releasing one name at a time?

Personally, I’m tired of the steroid talk. Nobody seems to bring up the fact that until 2005, taking steroids was not a punishable offense.

For the first time in almost 5 years, Nomar Garciaparra sets foot on the Fenway field as a player tonight.

In my opinion, Nomar seems to be largely forgotten in Red Sox Nation (except for the mouth breathing douchebags…I’m looking at you, Boston Dirt Dogs…who still hold a grudge against him for some reason or another), and really underappreciated. Remember he was one of the ‘Big 3′ shortstops, and it seemed that he was going to end up second only to ARod? Now ARod isn’t a shortstop any longer (for that matter, neither is Nomar), and Jeter has definitely turned out to be a much better player. But for a few years with the Sox, Nomar was special.

I wish I could be there to give him an ovation tonight; I know I’ll make sure I’m watching for his first at-bat. I hope the true fans outrank the mouthbreathers tonight.

With regards to “Jeter made the great play while Nomar sulked” discussion….

1. Nobody remembers that in the same game, Pokey Reese made a superior play in just about the same spot.
2. Nobody remembers that the Sox tied the game in the 7th, and took the lead in the 13th; only to have Leskanic give up 2 runs in the bottom of the 13th.
3. With regards to number 1, the umpire signal here tells you all you need to know about Jeter’s superfluous dive. He’s signaling ‘fair ball’