Wow! Did the Sox look good or what in their four-game set with the Detroit Tigers? I mean, they outscored the cats 25-14 and were a Julio Lugo error away from taking out the brooms and sweeping the kitty litter under the tarp.

So yeah, our nice overpaid backup, I mean starting shortstop Julio Lugo stinks like a college student’s shower towel. This is the same guy that’s taking playing time away from Jed Lowrie, the same guy that has 10 errors as of May 9 and the same chap that needs to be demoted to Pawtucket’s equipment room.

Does anyone reading this agree that the signings of outfielder J.D. Drew and Lugo were two of the worst free-agent acquisitions that you can remember on this team? I know we win, I know that the front office knows how to construct a team through the draft, but they have no clue how to sign guys. I mean, Matt Clement anyone? We still could have starting pitcher Derek Lowe for that money. Oh, just so you know, over his three full seasons with the Dodgers, Lowe has recorded a combined 3.70 ERA in 639 1/3 innings of work.

I’m not in the habit of giving Julio Lugo the benefit of the doubt, but last night’s fielding gaffe — his league-leading 10th error of the year — is completely understandable. Why? Because it’s Julio Lugo, and I’ve come to expect this of him. He remains the lone Red Sox regular from last year’s team who’s never earned the fans’ respect. Whether that’s fair or not is beside the point: You either have the fans’ respect or you have people throwing up their hands in disgust, shouting, “(Bleeping) Lugo, of course!”

Now I could have let the bad vibes from last night’s loss infiltrate my brain, leading me to write a column about Jed Lowrie, the Red Sox’ shortstop of the future, i.e., the starter in all games going forward (hope, hope). But that would have been knee-jerk and dispiriting. Instead, I chose to watch baseball bloopers, which serve to remind me that Julio Lugo isn’t the only fielder who bobs around like a wounded wildebeest. So, try to enjoy the following compilation. My favorite comes early, when the Royals’ first baseman buries the relay throw into the pitcher’s face. Even Lugo hasn’t done that.

Well, not yet anyway.

Entering yesterday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo was hitting an anemic .188 against former teammate Scott Kazmir, with six strikeouts in 16 at-bats. His three hits? All singles. In short, Kazmir owns Lugo, and Lugo knows it, which might explain why Julio glared at Kazmir for several moments after the lefty flamethrower dismissed him with a second inning strikeout in yesterday’s game, on the 10th pitch of the at-bat.

The look in this picture is not the respectful nod of a man who’s just been bested in a fair fight. It’s the bitter face of a man who’s just been struck out for the seventh time in 17 career at-bats…by a former teammate he doesn’t seem to like. Unfortunately, Lugo drew a walk in his next (and last) at-bat against Kazmir, when a strikeout might have made him snap completely. Guess we’ll have to wait for the next Sox-Rays series, scheduled for June 3-5 at Fenway.

How ironic would it be if no Yankees were elected to start in the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium? Considering how lackluster all of their regulars have played so far, no to mention the fact that A-Rod is on the disabled list and won’t be generating nearly the same buzz he did last spring when he came out mashing, isn’t it within the realm of possibility that New York won’t be able to elect any starters to this year’s game? Frankly, it all depends on Derek Jeter, who could roll out of bed and garner 2 million votes, but who’s currently hitting .277 with no home runs, no stolen bases, no range, a .303 on-base percentage, and a .351 slugging percentage.

Not exactly All-Star material.

Game 1: Red Sox 7 Angels 6
Game 2: Angels 6 Red Sox 4
Game 3: Angels 7 Red Sox 5

It’s tough for me to actually sit here and commend shortstop Julio Lugo on the .364 clip he hit against the Angels. But I have to, just continue it man, you’ve got a lot to prove.

The flu virus demolished a once poised and confident clubhouse, I’m not saying that the morale is diminished in any way, but the fact that catcher Jason Varitek, starting pitcher Josh Beckett and starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka were all out in the series, is a cause for concern. I did hear that the Sox took care of the problem, they supposedly sprayed down the clubhouse, we’ll see if their feeble attempt stifles the bug.

Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury flashed the brilliance that kept him in town during the Johan Santana trade talks. He hit .333 (5-for-15) with two long balls and four runs scored in the series. I was at the game on Tuesday night, and what he did on Dustin Pedroia’s tiebreaking double was unreal. To me, he is easily one of the most exciting individuals in the game of baseball; the future is bright for the flashy centerfielder. He is a leadoff hitter with a .423 OBP, now that’s production.

Boston’s come-from-behind victory over the Indians last night was probably the most satisfying win of the season, due mostly to positive contributions from unexpected quarters. Truthfully, I’d written the game off as a loss once Jon Lester got lifted in the fifth inning, because Westbrook was pitching decently, Betancourt was waiting in the wings, and we needed to hold the Tribe down with Julian Tavarez, who, quite honestly, inspires as much confidence as Hubert H. Humphrey these days.

And so, purely out of spite, Tavarez takes the hill and throws two-plus innings of quality relief, striking out four while allowing two hits, then gives way to Mike Timlin, who deals one inning of unblemished relief, which hasn’t happened in three years (or so it seems). Meanwhile, Betancourt gives up a solo shot to Youk leading off the 8th…and this after striking out Big Papi and Manny with the tying runs on base in the 7th inning. I mean, who saw that tater coming? Moreover, who could have foreseen the 9th-inning implosion by Cleveland closer Joe Borowski? Ya know, other than all of Ohio?

Julio Lugo had a memorable afternoon in Toronto today, committing three errors, going 0-4 at the plate, and popping up to end the game with runners on first and third — when a three-run home run would have tied it. Afterwards, we asked Lugo (via telepathy) how today’s game ranked on his all-time list of piss-poor outtings.

Lugo — "I shouldn’t have even bothered to wake up today."

Us — "One could argue that you didn’t."

So, the Red Sox’ 175,000-mile road trip will soon be over, and Boston can slink back to Beantown to face the Detroit Tigers, who’ve been playing Julio Lugo-like ball all season. So, something has to give, right?

In Lugo’s defense, he didn’t exactly let us down on Sunday. I mean, no one expected him to hit a three-run home run. This is Julio Lugo, after all – the only regular from last year’s championship team who built up NO goodwill with fans. Given that, you’d think the guy would work a little harder to do the little things right. Say, setting his feet on routine grounders and not flipping the ball across the diamond like he’s Omar Vizquel in an Old-Timers’ Game?

The shortstop, considered by many to be one of the most important positions in the game.

In fantasy, shortstop is scarce, especially when you consider that Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez and 2007 National League Most Valuable Player Jimmy Rollins combined for a .313 average with 59 home runs, 175 RBIs, 264 runs scored and 92 stolen bases last season. After them, it’s just New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes and everyone else.

I approached the shortstop conundrum in my various drafts the same way I did with second base. I waited until the later rounds to scoop up Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim shortstop Orlando Cabrera or Detroit Tigers shortstop Edgar Renteria. For me, the talent at other positions was far too deep to pass up for the select few who crank at shortstop.

Below, I’ve listed who I feel are the top-10 players at the position (Detroit Tigers first baseman/shortstop Carlos Guillen was listed in the “Top-10 First Basemen” article). Plus, since Boston Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo isn’t in my top-10, I’ll start with a quick blurb about his fantasy relevance.

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