SK: Admit it: You stole The Scream. It reminded you of how you felt in Game 7 versus the Yankees in last year’s ALCS.

SO: I stole it and shipped it to Billy Buck, who’s staring at it right now, nailed up on the wall of his shack in deepest Aryan Idaho. Edvard Munch was a Sox fan—a ChiSox fan. Talk about tanking: they were in first on July 26th; since then they’ve gone 8-19. It’s not that the Twins have played great ball, it’s just a flat-out collapse. When’s the last time we swept them in Comiskey?

SK: Been quite a few years. It’s nice to feel happy again about the Red Sox, isn’t it? If only for a while.

SO: You were dead right about how nice it would be getting 15 games over .500, but I sure didn’t count on the A’s, Rangers and Angels ALL streaking alongside of us. There’s four cars and the tunnel’s only two lanes.

SK: All is well as can be here, and Manny is stroking the shit out of the ball. Check out Chip McGrath’s “Lost Cause” piece in today’s New York Times Magazine. Good for a giggle, I think.

Or a snort of disgust.

SO: I expect it’s about the Yanks’ el foldo act the last three (make it four) years running.

SK: Can you believe the Yankees lost five games in one week??? I went to bed thinking, “If I was Joe Torre, I’d say, ‘This is why you like the big lead—you can go through a tough stretch like this and still be on top.’” I got up this morning and damned if that wasn’t just what the Skip said. What our Skip said was that when Manny dropped the pop, he swallered half his plug of tobacco. Served him right.

SO: Ol’ Joe’s got the luxury of a six-man rotation and all the bench support George can buy, so he doesn’t have to sweat September. October, though…If they choke again, there are going to be some changes. Imagine if the heavily favored Sox blew three consecutive postseasons. Why, there’d be talk of a curse.

I’d like to see a reel with all of Manny’s wildlights. He’s like Charlie Brown out there—or Pig Pen. And I ain’t gonna say it, but you know what that plug o’ chaw resembles, half-in and half-out of Terry’s mouth? Ayuh.

SK: My last bit in the August section is about Manny—Manny at the bat and Manny in the field, and how his bad fielding is a misperception. I think you’ll be amused.