What a weekend! Too bad I missed it.

In taking time away from following the Sox this holiday weekend, I think it's safe to say that I am partially responsible for their current impressive winning streak.

After all, there's no way Clay Buchholz becomes the first Boston rookie to throw a no-hitter if I'm watching.

Cause that's the kind of shit that happens when you take a brief sabbatical from the torture test that is following these Red Sox: winning streaks happen, impressive performances happen, history happens.

So while I indulged in all the familiar aspects of the "last weekend of summer" (an ironic moniker here in sun-baked FLA)--bicycling, beaching, barbecuing and boozing--the Sox got busy turning an ugly four-game losing skid into three straight confidence-boosting wins.

Let me say that I did catch a few innings here and there over the weekend, enough to keep me somewhat abreast of the goings ons but not enough to get any kind of feel of the games.

Friday after trekking to the beach as part of my "kick off the holiday weekend by biking to the beach, get tanked, and then attempt to ride home" campaign, I got home and in front of the TV just in time to see Nick Markakis' 3-run homer that made the score 9-3 Baltimore, after which I promptly drifted into a semi-coma and awoke to the "Good Evening" screen from the Extra Innings package.

Saturday I started out watching Clay's masterpiece, but got so busy getting the house ready for a party the next day that I inadvertently left it on the PIP while I had college football on the main picture. I saw the blowout score of the Sox game and thought nothing of switching it back.

Not until the Sportscenter "30 in 30" spot announced what Buchholz was in the process of doing did I bother to switch it back, and I managed to witness the last three outs without a ball dropping in to punish my blatant stupidity.

Sunday was the day of the party, so game watching was out of the question. Didn't even find out that the Sox won until the next morning, which I believe was Monday but sure felt like a Sunday.

Anyway, last night I made a decision to watch the Florida State football game on the big screen and leave the Sox on the TV in the back and the PIP, just to complete my weekend of lost viewing.

After Boston got ahead 10-1 I concentrated on the offensively weak Noles instead of the offensive fireworks going on at Fenway and failed to see Toronto's 8-run 6th inning that nearly led to one of the most disappointing losses of the season if not for a great catch by Ellsbury.

I know, this one is inexcusable. Fucking Noles.

But now I'm back for the pennant run and I'm not even upset that I missed all the fun because when I tuned out this team was reeling from the Stankees sweep and the Baltimore opener and now it owns a 7-game lead in the East again and control their own destiny from here on out.

You're welcome, guys.