Girardi in the Catbird Seat

Want to play in the majors? Catch a flight to Tampa today, and Joe Girardi might let you pitch the seventh inning today or at least pinch hit.

Has this ever happened in baseball? A team can hurt its arch rival by losing. Well, of course it must have happened, but never in the Sox-Yankees rivalry.

Tampa Bay's presence adds a new angle. Girardi hurts the Sox by not trying to beat Tampa (I will stop short of "Allowing them to win," though I admit to thinking it), but he may also be hurting Tampa. That one-game playoff would be huge pressure for them -- and in the end, the Red Sox have more weapons, when they execute.

Yes, the Catbird Seat. But I rest assured that Girardi can't be enjoying it. Too many games loom.