We begin this morning with a quiz:

The numbers 16-8, 14-13, 12-15, 17-13, 11-7, 12-10, 16-12 are:

1. The last seven frames I bowled for Barstool in the playoffs
2. The combination to the safe where JD Drew keeps the incriminating pictures of Theo Epstein.
3. The numbers Hurley will come across in the next season of "Lost" that will also never be explained.
4. Tim Wakefield's Won/Lost record the last seven times he made at least 27 starts.

If you guessed "4" and you think those are fairly solid numbers, congratulations. If you think Wakefield sucks and he's an anchor on the full-throttle speedboat that is the 2007 Red Sox rotation, you've either not been paying attention the last 13 years or you're a complete dickweed and the FCC should ban you from ever being heard over the sports radio airways ever again.

Wakefield pitched a gem last night. But even after his June 1st game against the Yankees, when he lasted 3.2 Inn and gave up 8 ER, he needed to apologize for nothing. Bad starts happen to every pitcher. But when you throw a wiffle ball for a living, every bad start means nimrods everywhere put down the heroin syringe long enough to call 'EEI and scream that Tito needs to yank you from the rotation, post haste before he ruins our October in early June.

Looking at the short term, sure, Wake is prone to bad stretches that can last 4 or 5 starts. He'll also give you unhittable streaks that last just as long. But you can't look at him that way. Wakefield is like one of those 3D pop art posters. Up close he doesn't look like much. But step back, and over a full season you can guaran-damn-tee 12-16 wins and 10-12 losses. And at the back end of my rotation, I'll take that any time.