The Chalkboard Conspiracy Instruction Video

In the last 5 days, Glenn Beck has taken his show to a new level of crazy. He asked his viewers to record and share all five shows this week as they would be the most important he's ever done. He then proceeded, day by day, to work on a chalkboard, drawing how Barack Obama is connected to several former and current left-wing radical individuals and groups.

We're seeing a man lose control of himself and his show. We pinheads call this 'decompensation.'

So one of the 'communist' groups is the MDS, the Movement for a Democratic Society. Young people against war and racism, and for the lifting of the Cuba embargo. According to Beck, this group is a direct descendant of the Weather Underground simply because their name is similar to the Weather Underground's parent group, the SDS, Students for a Democratic Society. As The Young Turks have pointed out, under that methodology, you can link a Dungeons and Dragons fan to any organization with the word 'dragon' in it and take the 'six degrees' game from there.

In the clip above, Mr. Beck failed to mention that he is focusing his efforts on Van Jones because Jones' organization was the largest besides Media Matters that protested Beck's remark on Fox News that Obama is a 'racist.' It's just a personal vendetta that has morphed into pure paranoia.

Want more crazy? Here's a truckload of crazy. A record three million viewers and I saw this while flying back to New York and it hit me just how far off the rails Glenn Beck has gone. He's referring to a 2008 speech Obama made, suggesting that the Peace Corps and Americorps be expanded so that young Americans can act as positive ambassadors for their country. Glenn Beck runs with Obama's words to make it appear that Obama was proposing the formation of a domestic fascist police force (like the Brownshirts or the SS).

And:

Followed by:

Even more crazy? Glenn brought it today, August 28th. He is convinced that GE/NBC/MSNBC, plus the Obama administration and liberal bloggers are out to destroy him. Making the technological leap from a chalkboard to a whiteboard, Beck decides to fill his show with a psychiatrist offering him some advice on how to deal with his sane critics.

"I'm Not Running Against Anybody"


Exactly, Mayor Mike. You are running uncontested. You bought City Hall. And as the buyer, you should own it. The City has fallen on hard times, and you should fall with it. That's what responsible leaders do.

But no, CEO's usually don't take the fall. They tighten their grip on power. That's what we are witnessing, my fellow New Yorkers. I used to call Bloomberg an 'elephant' because he was a Republican. Now he's just a power hungry little bitch, or as Christopher Hitchens described, a little putz.

I realize that the mayor was trying to say that he is not engaging in a personal battle. He's not running against anyone in particular at this time, as the Democratic primary is September 15th. But he made a slip, and said he wasn't running against anyone. This isn't the first time the mayor has let his true feelings slip out in public.

Meanwhile real politicians, who roll-up their sleeves and fight for change and justice, are forced to sit this election out, because they know Bloomberg will destroy them. Not just in an election, but possibly financially and professionally.

Smart New Yorkers didn't ask for a Big Daddy with Rudy Giuliani. And they didn't ask for a Mayor for Life with Bloomberg. Obviously a healthy democracy in New York City has not existed for decades and will not be returning anytime soon.

It's a good thing that New York City mayor is a dead-end job. It usually marks the end of one's political life. I think that factored into Anthony Wiener's decision not to run this year. He would rather save the mayor title for the end of his political career. Right now, Wiener is in his prime as a US Congressman.

Michael Bloomberg is living proof that I am not biased in favor of fellow Bostonians, or fellow Bostonians born at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center. The man is a cancer on this city. But of course, I undestnd that if it was not Bloomberg, it would be some other former CEO who would anchor himself at City Hall. I just think that Mike Bloomberg is possibly the worst thing to come of out Brookline, ever.

The Most Frustrating Season Since...?


2000 maybe? 1998? It's been a while since a Red Sox team put-up such impressive numbers and yet is in danger of not making the playoffs.

After being swept by the Texas Rangers in Arlington, in a series reminiscent of the season-crushing defeats in Arlington in 2001, I thought the season was over. I wanted to declare the 2009 Red Sox dead. But I am hesitant. Why?

The Red Sox have two injured starting pitchers - Wakefield and Matsuzaka. That has to be taken into account.

Furthermore, the apparent lack of passion and anger from these Red Sox is not a sign that the team lacks heart. I still see Ortiz dishing out customized high-fives and smiling. I still see Jason Bay focus at each at bat. And while the Red Sox haven't had an epic brawl, comeback, or dramatic walk-off this season (at least I don't recall a walk-off home run this season), they have remained cool and professional, much like their arch rivals in New York. There have been no off-field distractions. Even the news that David Ortiz was on the juice didn't rock the clubhouse. There hasn't been anything similar to Jurassic Carl circa 2001. Besides being swept in two recent series, there haven't been any other major bad news.

So the Red Sox still have a good chance to secure the Wild Card. And they can do it by being as close to perfect at home as possible. And that task re-boots tonight as the penultimate series against the Yankees begins.

It's on. Their fate is still in their hands.

MSNBC: Combating The Crazy

Lawrence O'Donnell restrains himself from flattening a typical right-wing attendee of a congressional town hall meeting,

Chris Matthews interviews a more informed protester, William Kostric, who might be the first man to protest the president while carrying an exposed weapon in many many decades.

WBCN Goes Digital-Only


I wish I had learned about this sooner. But news in Boston seldom travels out of the city (unless it's an embarrassing episode involving Mayor Menino).

Boston's most legendary rock radio station, WBCN, ended its 41-year analog broadcast run just after midnight on Wednesday, August 12th (here's how the station went out). The station will continue to stream classic and alternative rock from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s on HD digital radio and the Internet. It is most easily accessed on iTunes, in the Radio folder, under the 'rock' category.

I worked at WBCN's original Boylston Street location in the summer of 1993 as a sales / copywriting intern. I was in the only office with windows, facing north, overlooking the brick and mint green facade of Fenway Park. I mostly did traffic reports and put together media kits. But eventually, I got to cover the switchboard (Peter Wolf once called with, 'Hey this is Peter Wolf, who's this?'), write a couple of radio commercials, and attend a Lansdowne Street block party to send off Mayor Ray Flynn, who was chosen by Bill Clinton to become ambassador to the Vatican ('natch).

It was an unforgettable summer...to be 20 years old and working (albeit part-time) at the most popular radio station in Boston, a city that was undergoing a healthy economic, cultural, and architectural boom that continued into this decade. The current stream at WBCN captures a lot of songs from that era by such bands as Stone Temple Pilots, The Breders, Radiohead, The Smashing Pumpkins and so many others. I love my XM Radio, both in my car and online, but I do hope CBS Radio keeps WBCN alive online. The online stream acts as a kind of live memorial or historical archive (the classic WBCN station ID's from the 1990s continue to be used). I can see CBS shutting it down in a few years. But until then, we have a fairly good rock radio stream that captures the 90s rock revivl (the 'alternative rock' era).

It was Boston's first full-time contemporary rock station. It was the first commercial US radio station to play U2 songs. And it had the best morning show (The Big Mattress) for 28 years.

Just listen to the voices in this MP3 clip that closed out the analog broadcast.

Youkilis' Charge: Spark Or Stupidity?




Kevin Youkilis sent a strong message last night. He's had enough of being hit, intentionally or not. Last night was the 8th time Youk's been hit by a pitch.

In an unusual charging of the mound, Youkilis threw his helmet and attempted to tackle 20 year-old rookie pitcher Rick Porcello. Porcello's teammates were taken by surprise by Porcello's errant throw and were late in defending their pitcher from Yuokilis' charge. A heavy suspension is likely for Kevin Youkilis, who has proven himself to be the best third baseman for the Red Sox for the remainder of this season and into the future.Was it necessary or pointless? Helpful or harmful? Unavoidable or not? Let the debate simmer this week.

Red Sox July Report: The Wheels Come Off

Yes, they won last night, but the Red Sox season is over. This team had a lot going for it - a strong bullpen, a good (not stellar) offense, and the second best record in baseball. And that's how it was April through the All Star Break.

Then the wheels came off. The Sox tied their second worst losing streak in a century. The other season that featured a crushing six-game losing streak was 2006, when that losing streak knocked them out of playoff contention). But what alarmed me more than the consecutive losses was that the team was exposed as having no drive, no heart, perhaps even no soul.

No casual fan knows what goes on in the clubhouse, on the flights, or in the hotels. But the impression I got last week was that the 2009 Red Sox didn't seem to have as much fun as they used to in previous years. What was missing? The pranks? The nicknames? The off-duty bloopers and antics? Are we fans just not seeing how easy and loose this team is off the field? Could they really be souless corporate types like the Yankees? We can only guess.

But we do know that the losing streak occurred just a couple of weeks after the Red Sox made a risky deadline trade. The Sox traded long reliever / swing man Justin Masterson for the Indians' Victor Martinez. A risky move. While Martinez has given the Red Sox much needed offensive help, losing Masterson could be a contributing factor behind Boston's disastrous six-game losing streak at the hands of division rivals. Boston knew that a late season trade would involve them giving-up Josh Bard, Clay Buchholz, or Jusin Masterson, and they went with their proven long reliever.

Abruno over at Sox & Dawgs warned against trading Masterson.

While falling out of the AL East race is painful and embarrassing, it is still not yet mid August. One long win streak (or a string of streaks) can get the Red Sox back into the AL East hunt. Also remember the Yankees could also drop if one of their starting pitchers (especially AJ Burnett or Joba Chamberlain) is injured.

And then there are the intangibles that could happen to revive the Sox. We know that Kevin Youkilis and Jason Varitek are leaders on that team. They are not going to suffer any meltdowns. If there is a flashpoint, or some emotional event that the Sox and their team leaders can use to start a rally, they will most likely take advantage of it. I don't see fire in them yet, but they have over a week to clear their heads, win a few games, and earn a chance to reel-in the Yankees when they visit Fenway on August 21st.

The Ashes, Forth Test: Australia Level Series


And it was a swift, dominating win by Australia. The match was lost for England on the first day, when they lost all wickets for just 102 runs.

So now the fifth and final test at the Oval will be the rummer match of the series. Winner take all (or a draw, I assume, will allow Australia to retain the Ashes). It shouldn't be gloom & doom time for England. There are ways for them to win this final test, at one of their most favorite venues.

A Green Way to Dump Low-Tech Electronics (NYT Tuesday Edition)


In an on-going discussion, here is an article from the New York Times this past Tuesday that gets to the heart of one facet of the closed-loop (cradle-to-cradle) systems that will become of the utmost importance going forward. Businesses that "make" goods eventually will be required to build into their business plans what happens to their goods when their useful lives are complete. Some companies such as Apple, Herman Miller, and Milliken Carpets are already working at honing this responsibility.

See more from map-lab at our LAB.

Roxbury Gardens News: Roxbury Gardens-CDRC Youth Design Summit POSTPONED Indefinately


map-lab, Boston:

A more formal annoucement about the details going forward will be constructed but to sum up where we are....the event for the 13th of August has been indefinitely postponed.

Stephen Moore intends to relaunch effort to make this happen but will take the next couple months or so with a group of people we believe will be able to put the right thoughts and efforts into it. During this time the creation of a board of advisors will begin. These advisors, we hope, will straddle many avenues including politics, neighborhood groups, youth advocates, businesses, financial experts, urban designers, architects, farmers, and many more.

The initial plan is meeting up with the curriculum groups as well as potential participating youth groups, event sponsors and forming this board of advisors in the next month to see where this has been and where it needs to go to be the event that we know it can be. The goals for this event have always been NOT to be a lone shot, but rather an ongoing opportunity to get all these great groups in the same venue to help make a real difference and do so in a continued supportive measure.

We believe with an expanded timeline all fronts can move forward extremely well and put on an incredible day with an incredible message. In the end that is all we have ever wanted for the project going forward was a clear message and the opportunity for this to be the property of the community itself.

Cash For Ford Explorers


The Federal CARS program ('cash for clunkers') has led to a lot of 1990s domestic SUVs taken off the roads. According to Jalopnik, 6 of the top 10 vehicles being removed from American roads are Ford Explorer models. Here's the list:

1. 1998 Ford Explorer
2. 1997 Ford Explorer
3. 1996 Ford Explorer
4. 1999 Ford Explorer
5. Jeep Grand Cherokee
6. Jeep Cherokee
7. 1995 Ford Explorer
8. 1994 Ford Explorer
9. 1997 Ford Windstar
10. 1999 Dodge Caravan
The Ford Explorer was one of the best-selling vehicles of the 1990s. It is still offered in the iconic two-tone Eddie Bauer edition. And somehow, when I think of that 1990s Explorer, I remember it being mentioned in the first verse of Ice Cube's song, 'Down For Whatever' (1993).

The Ashes, Third Test: Edgbaston Ends In A Draw


Well, England might have won had it not rained on Thursday and Saturday. This sets-up the forth test in Headingley as a possible series-clincher for England.

Lawyers Guns & Money has a good final word on the third test.

And the Australians try to spin good news out of this latest weather-shortened draw here.

No week-long break for the teams this time. The forth test begins this Friday, August 7th.

The Ashes, Third Test: England's Chance To Take Control



If only the first day of the test wasn't a washout.

Still, good things tend to happen for England at Edgbaston. They could still win this match thanks to a swift end to Australia's first innings on day two. Barring no further rain delays, England have a real chance to take full command of the series this weekend with a win. They have to remain optimistic for a result after such great bowling.

Tainted titles? Let they who are free of sin cast the first stone!

OK. David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are "cheaters". Or to whatever degree that naiveté carries you in todays professional sports lets just set the record straight. Anyone who thought the Red Sox or any other team for that matter were free from this dirty little mess be it called, Andro, HGH, the Cream, the Clear, be it injected in the buttocks by a trusted "friend", taken with your protein shakes, or whether we're all "not here to discuss the past..." that we are really "here to be positive". We all knew. We have always known. So please lets box up the "i told ya so's" and the big bad BIG MARKET team BS.

Tainted Titles? Look I loved the 2004 Boston Red Sox story. Who didn't? And then the White Sox the following year. But this revelation that somehow because of yesterdays report of Ortiz (a "surprise") and Ramirez (NOT suprising) being on the so-called LIST thus making that year "tainted" is ridciulous. Folks, there are 103 players on that LIST. And guess what, they weren't all Red Sox players.

OK. Here are the names we know Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and Miguel Tejada were "confirmed" last year. And now we have Manny Ramirez, David Segui, and David Ortiz. Other names NOT confirmed but rumored are Roberto Alomar, Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Francisco Rodriguez, and Gary Sheffield. Here is the list as published by ROTOworld as the "suspected test failures" and the teams they were on at the time of the test by division (** indicate PITCHERS)(BOLD indicates team was Division Winner/Wildcard winner):

American League East
1.Nomar Garciaparra (Boston Red Sox)
2.Manny Ramirez (Boston Red Sox)
3.Johnny Damon (Boston Red Sox)
4.Trot Nixon (Boston Red Sox)
5.David Ortiz (Boston Red Sox)
6.Shea Hillenbrand (Boston Red Sox)
7.Derek Lowe (Boston Red Sox)**
8.Pedro Martinez (Boston Red Sox)**
9.Brian Roberts (Baltimore Orioles)
10.Jay Gibbons (Baltimore Orioles)
11.Melvin Mora (Baltimore Orioles)
12.Jerry Hairston (Baltimore Orioles)
13.Jason Giambi (New York Yankees)
14.Alfonso Soriano (New York Yankees)
15.Raul Mondesi (New York Yankees)
16. Aaron Boone (New York Yankees)
17.Andy Pettitte (New York Yankees)**
18.Jose Contreras(New York Yankees)
19.Roger Clemens (New York Yankees)**
20.Carlos Delgado (Toronto Blue Jays)
21.Vernon Wells (Toronto Blue Jays)
22.Frank Catalanotto (Toronto Blue Jays)

American League Central
23.Kenny Rogers (Minnesota Twins)**
24.Magglio Ordonez (Chicago White Sox)
25.Sandy Alomar (Chicago White Sox)
26.Bartolo Colon (Cleveland Indians)**
27.Brent Abernathy (Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Kansas City Royals)
28.Jose Lima (Kansas City Royals)**
29.Milton Bradley (Cleveland Indians)
30.Casey Blake (Cleveland Indians)
31.Danys Baez (Cleveland Indians)
32.Craig Monroe (Detroit Tigers)
33.Dmitri Young (Detroit Tigers)
34.Alex Sanchez (Detroit Tigers)

American League West
35.Eric Chavez (Oakland A's)
36.Miguel Tejada (Oakland A's)
37.Eric Byrnes (Oakland A's)
38.Jose Guillen (Oakland A's)
39.Keith Foulke (Oakland A's)**
40.Ricardo Rincon (Oakland A's)**
41.Bret Boone (Seattle Mariners)
42.Mike Cameron (Seattle Mariners)
43.Randy Winn (Seattle Mariners)
44.Ryan Franklin (Seattle Mariners)
45.Freddy Garcia (Seattle Mariners)
46.Rafael Soriano (Seattle Mariners)
47.Scott Spiezio (Anaheim Angels)
48.Troy Glaus (Anaheim Angels)
49.Francisco Rodriguez (Anaheim Angels)**
50.Ben Weber (Anaheim Angels)
51.Alex Rodriguez (Texas Rangers)
52.Juan Gonzalez (Texas Rangers)
53.Rafael Palmeiro (Texas Rangers)
54.Carl Everett (Texas Rangers)
55.Javy Lopez (Texas Rangers)**

National League East
56.Gary Sheffield (Atlanta Braves)
57.Mike Hampton (Atlanta Braves)**
58.Ivan Rodriguez (Florida Marlins)
59.Derrek Lee (Florida Marlins)
60.Bobby Abreu (Philadelphia Phillies)
61.Terry Adams (Philadelphia Phillies)**
62.Fernando Tatis (Montreal Expos)
63.Livan Hernandez (Montreal Expos)**
64.Hector Almonte (Montreal Expos)**
65.Tony Armas (Montreal Expos)**
66.Dan Smith (Montreal Expos)**
67.Roberto Alomar (New York Mets/Chicago White Sox)
68.Cliff Floyd (New York Mets)
69.Roger Cedeno (New York Mets)
70.Jeromy Burnitz (New York Mets)

National League Central
71.Moises Alou (Chicago Cubs)
72.Sammy Sosa (Chicago Cubs)
73.Corey Patterson (Chicago Cubs)
74.Carlos Zambrano (Chicago Cubs)**
75.Mark Prior (Chicago Cubs)**
76.Kerry Wood (Chicago Cubs)**
77.Matt Clement (Chicago Cubs)**
78.Antonio Alfonseca (Chicago Cubs)**
79.Juan Cruz (Chicago Cubs)
80.Aramis Ramirez (Chicago Cubs)
81.Craig Wilson (Pittsburgh Pirates)
82.Kris Benson (Pittsburgh Pirates)**
83.Richie Sexson (Milwaukee Brewers)
84.Geoff Jenkins (Milwaukee Brewers)
85.Valerio de los Santos (Milwaukee Brewers)**

National League West
86.Benito Santiago (San Francisco Giants)
87.Rich Aurilia (San Francisco Giants)
88.Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants)
89.Andres Galarraga (San Francisco Giants)
90.Jason Schmidt (San Francisco Giants)
91.Felix Rodriguez (San Francisco Giants)
92.Jason Christiansen (San Francisco Giants)
93.Matt Herges (San Francisco Giants)**
94.Paul Lo Duca (Los Angeles Dodgers)
95.Shawn Green (Los Angeles Dodgers)
96.Oliver Perez (Los Angeles Dodgers)
97.Adrian Beltre (Los Angeles Dodgers)
98.Eric Gagne (Los Angeles Dodgers)
99.Guillermo Mota (Los Angeles Dodgers)
100.Luis Gonzalez (Arizona Diamondbacks)
101.Todd Helton (Colorado Rockies)
102.Ryan Klesko (San Diego Padres)
103.Gary Matthews (San Diego Padres)

So what does this LIST tell us? Well first, it actually says alot. Though here is what it doesn't say first: The truth of the names, the drugs involved, the dosages found (level), and the dates of the test itself. These are ALL UNKNOWN/UNCONFIRMED. But lets take it as a barometer of the depth of the "problem".

1. Every team but two had at least one player and most had more than one (The Chicago Cubs led with 10, including most of the starting pitching staff). The two having none? The St. Louis Cardinals and the Houston Astros. OK, before you anoint them with congratulations lets remember a couple of things. First, each them held top-dawg status of the steriod era in the wake of two of the poster children of the Steroid Era being key members of those teams: Mark McGwire and Ken Caminiti (though his best days were in San Diego). Secondly, each has subsequently gone out and signed suspected "tainted" players that have served as key cogs to further successes, most notably the Astros with Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. The Cardinals had Fernando Vina in '03 who was linked to PED's in the Mitchell Report and also, though languishing in the minors for his notable mental "hiccups", Rick Ankiel.

2. the LIST is just ONE list of many. The depth of this list is DEEP but it is really something to see in this great MATRIX OF LISTS for an eye-opening look into how far this really goes.

3. Big market, small market. Hitters, pitchers, Good teams, bad teams. They ALL had these guys. And they cover every cultural enclave. Though it would appear the ever surging list of minor leaguers in Latin American Leagues getting suspened or linked to trainers like Angel Presinal (nice hat in the photo BTW) are indicators there are some tremendously shady folks lurking outside the borders of the MLB that are taking advantage of young Latinos starry-eyed at the prospect of prosperity.

So please, spare me the "GIVE BACK YOUR TROPHY" march on Washington garb. There are no innocents here. There are no "clean" teams ready to take the tainted trophies off the glass-cased shelves.

And folks....if you watch, root, or just follow sports.....its the bed we've all made together. We watched salaries increase exponentially over the years and paid the ridiculous "entertainment" prices to watch them. We are guilty too. We hold athletes up to hero status as though what they do is really meaningful beyond these moderate metaphors of life. We demand greatness on a level that puts athletes in a position of having to inject themselves to "survive".

So buckle up. There will be plenty of "bad news" to come. Whether its overcoming 86 years of "suffering" as Red Sox fans or Lance Armstrong's 7 titles in cycling's premiere event or those heady days of the Steel Curtain of the 1970s to the Patriots of the 2000's, Olympic (False) Glories fading to shame. We asked for this. And they have given us what we asked for.

Bon Appetite.

My Thoughts Are With...


...those poor doctors at UCLA medical center who were ordered to keep Michael Jackson's blood flowing for over an hour in the ER. They must be traumatized for life. They worked furiously over a skeletal body...CPR, epinephrine / adrenaline, and electricity. My thoughts are with them. What happened to them should never happen to Emergency Room doctors.

Seriously, that had to be so awful. What attending orders over 60 minutes of resuscitation attempts? Did anyone walk out after a certain point? I want the inside story.

UPDATE, July 2nd: Shortly after posting this, I wrote an e-mail to the ER chief over at UCLA, Dr. Marshall Morgan, asking him if those who worked on Jackson would be receiving any perks or special recognition, as I feel they did more to deserve it.

Then on July 1st, I see this AP story that investigates whether Jackson could have been revived after being brought into the ER clinically dead. It seems that UCLA has a doctor who has been successful in reviving people who would normally be declared dead. But, no, this particular doctor wasn't called to the ER for the Jackson case. And no, the article is not reporting that Jackson could have been revived. So while the article could have discredited my question to the ER chief, it didn't. But I am not expecting any sort of reply from Dr. Morgan anyway. But I do expect some details to leak out over the next few weeks. Certainly TMZ or someone will want to hear about what these doctors saw and tried to do.

How To Overcome Two Painful Losses - Start A New Winning Streak

I had planned to blog last Thursday's game between the Marlins and Red Sox. It turned out to be the most annoying game of the season so far, with Boston getting only 1 hit in a rain-shortened game.
The next day was no better, with the Red Sox scoring only 2 hits in a 8-2 thumping at the hands of the Braves. Daisuke Matsuzaka was overwhelmed and later placed on the 15-day Disabled List with a 'weak shoulder'.



With two losses like that, and the Yankees creeping closer in the AL East race, the Sox were put to a bit of a mental test.

And did they pass.

The next game on Saturday (June 20) was special. It marked the return to Fenway of Derek Lowe, who started for the Braves, against Boston ace Josh Beckett. In a classic pitcher's duel, Beckett came out on top, throwing his third career shutout, while the Sox offense was led by RBI hits by Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and Nick Green.

Then came Sunday, and it was a thrilling shootout in the same cold, wet conditions that hung over Boston all last week. And the winning run was a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth by Nick Green.


It capped a dramatic turn-around in spirits and set the stage for a possible sweep in D.C. as the Red Sox will be facing the worst team in the Majors, while also trying to keep-up with the Dodgers, who currently have the best record in the Majors (46-24 as of Tuesday morning). The Nationals are 20-47 so far this season. The Red Sox are 42-27, and are looking to crack 50 wins well before the All Star break.