I know it is blasphemous among Red Sox supporters to blast Tim Wakefield.

The guy takes the ball every fifth day and never complains.

The guy does whatever the team needs him to do, whether it be start or come out of the bullpen.

The guy is even a philanthropist, spending much of his time and energy supporting great causes and visiting sick children.

But nonetheless, Tim Wakefield is the most frustrating athlete of my lifetime.

Believe me, I have been a supporter of many a frustrating athlete. Antoine Walker hoists up threes like they are going out of style. The next time Manny Ramirez hustles down the line at first base will also be the first time. And Drew Bledsoe was a statue in the pocket, getting sacked more than participants in a potato sack race.

Tim Wakefield is the most frustrating of the bunch and here is why....

Imagine, for a second that your favorite basketball team just picked up a new shooting guard, let's call him Smith. Smith is a three point specialist. However, Smith does not shoot threes facing the basket. Instead he hoists his three pointers backwards and over his head.

Amazingly enough, however, Smith is fairly accurate shooting threes backwards and over his head. He goes 7-8 from three point land in his first game and you don't know how he does it. But in his second game he is 0-10 from three.

At that point, every fan is asking, why on Earth are we employing a freakin' shooting guard who tosses up three pointers backwards and over his head.

This fictitious shooting guard, ladies and gentlemen, is Tim Wakefield. He tosses up a trick pitch to the plate and when he is on, you wonder how in the world Major League hitters are missing the ball.

But when he is tossing up lobs and players are hitting balls all over the park, any Sox fan asks why in the world we are employing a pitcher who can't throw a ball faster than some of the kids at the Little League World Series.

When Josh Beckett has an off-game, an observant fan may notice that he is not snapping his breaking pitches as per usual. Or he is throwing too many fastballs. We can rationalize why he isn't himself.

With Wakefield, all we hear about is dancing. Is his knuckler dancing? I, for one, am sick of dancing.

The Sox have talented arms in the minor leagues in the persons of Jon Lester and Clay Bucholz. I am not suggesting that we get rid of Wake this season, but I think this should be the beginning of the end for the longest tenured member of the Red Sox.

He has frustrated us long enough.

RED SOX RAMBLINGS:

The Yanks are Coming

Don't look now Sox fans but the Yanks are only 8 games out, 7 back in the loss column. And Sox fans seem to forget that the Yankees still have a suspended game to complete where they were ahead by two runs in the 8th inning. There is certainly at least a 90% chance that they emerge victorious that game.

With the return of Philip Hughes (and Jeff Karstens to a lesser extent), and the soft second half schedule for the Evil Empire, the Yankees may not be out of this yet.

I predict that this race comes down to the wire, but the Sox hold on to their division lead by a hair.

Unimpressed with Lopez

While the Red Sox bullpen has certainly emerged this year, one guy who has disappointed me is lefty Javier Lopez.

Lopez has a penchant for letting inherited runners score (see Timlin, Mike) and does not command his pitches very well. His lack of control makes him less than reliable against opposing teams' best left handed hitters.

I would have rather seen JC Romero stick around the Sox pen a bit longer.

Back up Manny:

While Mr. Ramirez has been picking it up with his bat since the All-Star break, his play in left field has been confounding to the average fan.

If Manny got any closer to Julio Lugo in the field, they could star in a male adult video.

Yesterday, Billy Butler hit a key double that hit the warning track in left field just in front of the Green Monster. If Manny plays at the depth of a normal left fielder, that is an easy catch. The same thing happened in the Toronto series on a ball hit by Alex Rios.

Manny's shallow play in left field has served him well in the past, but I think he is taking it to a ridiculous level this year. Back up 10-15 feet and it will make a world of difference.

My allegiances will always be to the Boston Red Sox.

But, today, I am thankful for the honesty of a member of the hated New York Yankees.

If you missed it, Jason Giambi told the USA TODAY that baseball owes an apology to the public for the steroid era. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/yankee
s/2007-05-17-giambi-steroid-issue_N.htm

He even went so far as to say that he was "wrong for doing that stuff."

While we shouldn't applaud Giambi for using, it is refreshing that at least one baseball player admits that steroid use was a grave problem, and that he was a part of the problem.

If Barry Bonds would have said that baseball never tested for steroids and that they weren't technically illegal in the game until very recently, I think that public perception would be different.

If Rafael Palmeiro fessed up and stated that it was not Miguel Tejada's Vitamin B-12 injections that produced a positive test, but rather an old man trying to salvage his career, the public would have been more empathetic.

But what we have right now is a bunch of guys who make mistakes and then don't own up to them. That is more loathsome than the cheating itself.

Jason Giambi has the stones to say that he cheated, he was wrong, and that he owes everyone an apology. We can't possibly ask for any more than that from our professional athletes.

And if anyone compares Jose Canseco's tell-all tales to Giambi's confession, spare me.

Canseco wrote his "book" for three reasons:

1) He got blackballed from baseball and wanted to bring the game down;

2) He wanted money;

3) He missed being in the spotlight.

Jason Giambi has nothing to gain by apologizing to the fans. He has nothing to gain by admitting steroid use. He has never tested positive for anything.

Giambi should also be commended for his honesty in front of a federal grand jury. As far as I have seen, he is the only player who actually testified truthfully in those proceedings.

Grand juries are essential to the criminal justice system. Full candor to the tribunal is absolutely necessary if the system of American jurisprudence is to continue to be the envy of every other justice system.

But athletes not only made a mockery of the game of baseball... they made a mockery of grand jury proceedings... And Palmeiro and Sosa made a mockery of Congressional hearings...

Yes, Giambi should not have used.

And yes, using causes men's testicles to shrink...

But at least Giambi's are still big enough that he is man enough to tell the truth.

The second round of the NHL playoffs starts tonight with the Buffalo Sabres hosting the New York Rangers in the early game and the Anaheim (no longer Mighty) Ducks hosting the Vancouver Canucks.

In tomorrow's action, the Ottawa Senators travel to New Jersey to play the Devils and the Detroit Red Wings play host to the San Jose Sharks.

These are all great games, but will anyone be watching?

Two seasons ago, the National Hockey League was involved in the worst labor stoppage in sports history. An entire season, including playoffs went by the wayside. Canada was in a state of mourning. However, aside from hockey towns like Detroit and Buffalo, it barely made the news in the United States.

ESPN stayed away from the story. And when hockey finally came back, ESPN stayed away from the product.

Now relegated to Versus, many folks need digital cable just to see some Stanley Cup action on a nightly basis. The television in my living room has been tuned to Channel 148 on many occasions because my household only gets Versus on that television.

I am sure that less committed hockey fans just aren't watching... Or when they are channel surfing do not have the patience to hit Channel 148...

There are solutions to the NHL's problem though...

Here is what the league can do to regain some relevance in the United States stream of consciousness:

1) Beg ESPN to take them back - Hockey's revenue is still based in large part on arena sales. The TV contract with Versus, while netting the NHL some money, is hurting in terms of the game being underexposed. In five years, when kids don't know what hockey is, people will stop showing up to the games. Then hockey will be in a state of turmoil instead of recession.

2) Market their superstars - Hockey has had an influx of young talent in the last few years like nothing it has seen since the early '80s. Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal, Evgeni Malkin and others can revive this game if given a chance.

3) Reduce ticket prices - Fans in traditional hockey markets like Boston are slowly turning away from the game in favor of less expesnive alternatives. Despite ignoring the fans for a full season, the NHL has not tried in earnest to bring the fans back by lowering ticket prices, thus increasing the season ticket base.

I, for one, hope that the NHL will listen to this type of reasoning. Hockey is still the fastest game on earth, and one of the most exciting.

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES:

Celtics release Telfair on same day Allen found not guilty:

Many people probably heard that Sebastian Telfair is rumored to be released by the Celtics just days after he was arrested for possession of a firearm. Once again, this is an example of an NBA team passing judgment before any facts regarding the incident have emerged.

Interestingly, on the very same day, it was announced that Tony Allen was found not guilty of all charges stemming against him relating to an alleged battery at a Chicago restaurant. It just goes to show, that the NBA and individual clubs should stop levying punishment before all information is gathered.

What's up with the Yankees?

This is a weird thing to say, but I think that the Yankees might be in a rebuilding mode. Yes, they have a $200 Million payroll. Yes, their offense is littered with former and current all-stars.

But their pitching stinks. The thing is, they have help on the horizon. I'm not talking about Carl Pavano folks. We've all heard of Phillip Hughes who will be making his Major League debut on Thursday.  But they also have some other hot pitching prospects like Dellin Betances, Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy who will most likely are future Major Leaguers. Couple that with future bullpen dynamo J. Brent Cox, and the Yankees look like they will be a really tough team to beat in 2009.

Maybe he should be a full time righty -

Switch hitter Jason Varitek's left/righty splits are telling this season:

Right-handed: .538 BA, .1.571 OPS, 2 HR, 5 RBI

Left-Handed: .154 BA, 432 OPS, 0 HR, 4 RBI.

Last season was a terrible one for the Sox Captain from both sides of the plate, so I will discount it. But in 2005 Tek had an OPS of 1.000 from the right side and .804 from the left. In 2004, it was .995 from the right and .820 from the left.

Just looking at Varitek hit, he has more power and more bat speed from the right hand side. His slow, looping swing from the left makes him susceptible to the strike-out. I, for one, would be happy if Tek's switch-hitting days were over. 

Will Federer ever Win the French?

With the clay court tennis season in full swing, many in North America probably didn't notice that Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer in yet another final in Monte Carlo. This brings Nadal's streak to 67 straight wins on clay.

Federer is making a run at Pete Sampras' all time grand slam title record, but with Nadal's clay dominance, one wonders if he will ever win at the French Open, much like Sweet Pete. Unless Nadal pulls out with an injury one of these years, the smart money says that Federer is destined to strike out on the dirt.

Yes, he has started his career with two 10 K games out of three.

Yes, he has a flair for the dramatic and is a great showman.

Yes, he was the MVP of the World Baseball Classic.

But, Daisuke Matsuzaka is no Pedro Martinez. Not even close.

I think that people in Boston are conveniently choosing to forget how good Pedro Martinez was in his prime between 1997 and 2002. In 1999, Pedro's ERA was  2.07... The League average ERA was 5.07. That is almost unfathomable.

Pedro's fastball routinely hit 96-97 Miles Per Hour. He had the best change-up in the league. And his curveball was devastating. Matsuzaka has several "plus" pitches but none of his pitches are as dominant as any of Pedro's top three pitches were.

Dice-K reminds me more of a young Mike Mussina than he does of Pedro Martinez. Believe me, that is no insult. Mussina throws three different fastballs (two seamer, four seamer and cutter), he throws a splitter, he throws a change-up and he has a phenomenal knuckle-curve that falls off the table. Similarly, Dice-K throws three different fastballs (two seamer, four seamer and shuuto), a great change-up, a slider and a pretty good curve-ball.

In short, Dice-K beats you because he can throw a bunch of pitches and he can throw them for strikes. Hitters are off balance because they never know what is coming.

Pedro was perhaps the most dominant pitcher during his prime that baseball has seen since the days of Koufax. He was better than Clemens. Better than the Big Unit. Better than Maddux. Better than Smoltz.

So, do me a favor. Stop comparing Dice-K to Pedro. It just ain't far. But I'll take a Mussina in his prime any day of the week.

OTHER RANDOM RED SOX RAMBLINGS:

Manny Ramirez will hit. Let's not get too concerned about his batting average around the Mendoza line and one homerun. He did the same thing last year and put up his usual 300 BA 35 HR 100 RBI.

Let's not get too excited over Josh Beckett just yet. He may be 3-0 with a sub 2.00 ERA, but he did exactly the same thing last year, before posting an ERA over 5.00 at the end of the year. If you Sox fans remember, Beckett was 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA on April 21 going into a start against the Blue Jays. He was cruising along in that game before intentionally hitting a batter (Aaron Hill) and then giving up a gopher to Vernon Wells to blow the game. He then got lit up in a start against Cleveland which started a percipitous downward spiral.

Free Wily Mo. Wily Mo Pena's homerun against Toronto was perhaps the most majestic shot hit in this young season. The kid's got power and plays a decent centerfield. Let's get Coco Crisp's anemic bat out of the line-up and give Ortiz and Ramirez some much needed protection.

Finally a good bullpen? The Sox have assembled a gaggle of good arms for this year's bullpen. Okajima has a fall off the table splitter; Donnelly has some much needed moxie; Papelbon is looking to become his generation's Rivera and is doing a great job; Pineiro has a decent arm; And Kyle Snyder and JC Romero aren't terrible either. Let's give Theo some credit for finally getting a bullpen in order.

Lugo a Go-Go- I kept hearing that Julio Lugo would be a huge step downward from Alex Gonzalez defensively. He may not be Gonzalez, but he ain't bad. Lugo tracks fly balls better than any shortstop this side of Derek Jeter. And his range to his left exceeds even Gonzalez. If he could get some more consistency with his throws, he'll be pretty good defensively. And did I mention that he swings the bat twice as well as Gonzo? I didn't? Well, he does.

Managerial Genius - Let's give Terry Francona some much deserved credit. With the Sox up 4-1 against the Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim) last Friday, Tito brought in bullpen ace Jonathan Papelbon in the 8th inning with Vlad Guerrero at the plate and two men on base and one out. Papelbon overmatched Guerrero and induced a Garret Anderson fly-out to end the threat. Francona should be given credit for not waiting until the 9th to bring in the dominant stopper. The Sox ended up scoring six times in the bottom of the 8th, to make the game a 10-1 laugher. If not for Francona's decision, the momentum may have changed drastically.