Immigration Reform...

I've never been a big proponent of the whole U.S./Canada border thing, a big waste of time and money to create a hassle when passing to and from U.S. Lite. I mean, Canada's main exports- lumber, beer and weed - all get here anyway and other than that there just isn't a whole lot of difference. While I have a decided preference for Canadian currency and the Health Care policy, by and large the only difference between the States and our neighbors to the North is the funny accent. Since a similar phenomenon happens when you cross the Mason-Dixon, the whole idea of spending interminable hours having your car searched in case you've brought an inordinate amount of hash and Bradour over the border seems silly.

Well, I should say it seemed silly. I've suddenly become strongly in favor of increased Immigration Regulations between the U.S. and Canada in hopes that we can arrange for Eric Gagne to be deported. He's served up 8 runs over 4 innnings of work in a Red Sox uniform, and were it not Monday morning and were I more of a fan of mathematics, I'd tell you what that equates to in ERA (and yes, I know one of yesterday's runs got rung up to Okajima, poor guy)...but let's just say it is a number approaching the GNP of a small European nation. Gagne is responsible for TWO losses this weekend to the Orioles...THE BLEEPING ORIOLES!!!! I know Tito will play the Good Manager and talk of "match-ups" and "limiting Okie's innings heading into the Playoffs" and that "Gagne looked good in the 'Pen", but who among the Denizens of Red Sox Nation didn't cringe when he pulled Okie after a third of an inning yesterday? It is a good thing I'd already come in from the pool by that point, because when they made that call I might just have fallen off my float and drowned. How you yank a guy who has done what Okajima has this season in that situation is beyond me. I'm still sick over this.

Alright, look...this is not The Apocalypse. The Red Sox will be fine, I truly believe it. I say to my friend in The People's Republic of Cambridge who can't get "1978" out of his head, this is a different team, a different era in the History of the BoSox. But I'm admittedly less comfortable than I was a week ago. How can you not be? We all know the old saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and perhaps that's something Theo & Co. might have thought of before this trade. But by-gones be by-gones and all that...it's broke now, and it needs to be fixed. Fast.