"The Red Sox," he said, "are more painful to watch than 'The View.'"

Except for Elizabeth Hasselbeck, I could do little but completely agree with him - from his viewpoint.

As for yours truly, the reversion back to form has been pleasurable to watch.

The Yanks are back on top, they now own the Olde Towne team, they're in Jonathan Papelbon's head (0-5 record) and the Sox look helpless to do a darned thing about it.

Except, of course, do what they've done with amazing consistency during the Terry Francona Years, that is, using Yankee hitters for target practice.

Seems like every time the Yanks batter a Sox pitcher, Beckett, Papelbon, et al., he suddenly seems to have one 'slip away' from him.

Those days are gone, as CC Sabathia proved to Dusty Pedroia at Fenway recently.

It all looks like, despite the best efforts of the schedule-makers, that the Red Sox are in trouble.

A record of 2-8 against the Yankees and Tampa at Fenway, Boston simply cannot beat good teams, and for the next week, they have some pretty good ones on their schedule.

Let's see here: Minnesota, at Philly, at Tampa over the next week.

They could be out of it by Memorial Day unless the defense tightens up and the starting pitching finds a groove.

Those are the key elements in Theo Epstein's vaunted 'run prevention' plan, ya know.

Looks like a long, very hot summer ahead on Yawkey Way.

It's all gone.

The sight is very strange coming in on the Deegan.

Yankee Stadium as we knew it for all of our lives is completely gone now; the last part of the right field wall came down a few days ago, and peering in from the new park across 161st Street, it still seems surreal that nothing remains, which is nothing short of a crime.

The Lost finale is on Sunday, and not a moment too soon, but '24" is going to leave us wanting more, I'm afraid.

Next Tuesday, the NFL is going to do the right thing and award the 2014 Super Bowl to the Jets/Giants Meadowlands Stadium.

Can't wait for it.

Thank you Boston Bruins for taking the place of the Yankees atop the all-time gag job list.

Anyone seen or heard from Denis Leary since last Friday?