A bit of stress entered my life this week so I am not going to write about the constitutional right of free speech – which I wanted to do – so I switched to the sports “channel,” one of my outlets when stressed. I am not even going to tell you about the stressors. Not your problem!

So the Boston Red Sox are hanging on to a possible playoff spot as of this writing on Tuesday morning. They are playing the Toronto Blue Jays and the Detroit Tigers to finish out the season, the Blue Jays in Toronto and the Tigers at home. Six games. The Jays and Tigers have been two of the best teams in the Major League this season. The Jays, who have clinched a playoff berth, are trying to win the American League East over the New York Yankees and the Tigers are trying to win the American League Central, over the surging Cleveland Guardians (9-1 over the last 10 games). Breathing down everyone’s necks are the Houston Astros, who are only three games behind the Seattle Mariners in the American League West.

Will I be surprised or stressed if Boston loses out on a wild card spot? No. After several seasons of finishing last in the division since their last championship in 2018, the Red Sox have had a good year thanks to pitchers Garrett Crochet and Aroldis Chapman, and shortstop Trevor Story. Those three have been the most consistent contributors to the team’s 85 wins. Losing rookies Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer to injuries in the second half of the season has not helped the Sox keep pace with the Yankees, who have gone 7-3 over their last 10 games, while the Sox are 4-6.

They used to call it a pennant race (nowadays, a playoff/wild card race). It has been fun to watch and let the chips fall where they may. Good luck, Sox!

Now on to the New England Patriots. Wow! It was throwback Sunday against the Steelers and I felt I was watching the Boston Patriots of the 1960s. Turnovers (six) and penalties cost them the win over Pittsburgh. I felt they outplayed the visitors but it was quite frustrating to watch, although I really like watching quarterback Drake Maye coming into his own. He was the team’s leading rusher on Sunday. Maybe it will be better against their next opponent, the Carolina Panthers (1-2), on Sunday at home. One can only hope.

Locally, the BRHS field hockey team is off to a great start, now 5-1. They’ve got some tough games coming up. Let’s hope Seahawks fans can show up and cheer them on to more victories.

Ah, I feel less stress already!