It's pretty evident the Red Sox aren't going to make this easy.

They should get this Wild Card thing done, but it's unlikely to be much before the Thursday or Friday before the end of the season on October 4. Until then, we'll all be watching the nightly scoreboard to see what those pesky Rangers are up to.

And it is all about the Rangers, not the Rays and, God knows, certainly not the Yankees. The Yanks are in cruise gear. Their only apparent issue is whether or not to dump Burnett and hand Andy the ball in Game 2. Forget the Yankees. That boat long ago left the dock.

So it's the Red Sox vs. the Rangers for the AL Wild Card. This is a different Texas team. They actually have some guys who can pitch. Scott Feldman has become a quality starter. Meanwhile, what's with this Neftali Perez kid? He may very well be the Next Big Thing.

If you're looking for some good news in this match-up, note that Michael Young has gone on the DL for the next two weeks. They still have a lot of bats, but his is one that should be respected more than most of the others. He remains the best-kept secret in baseball. Check out his last few years when you get a minute.

As far as the Red Sox are concerned, the great question mark is Josh Beckett. You can give him a mulligan, maybe two. But now he's had four bad starts, and I'd say you can feel free to start worrying. If the playoffs began tonight, would you give him the ball? I wouldn't. I'd hand it to Jon Lester. Yeah, I know Beckett's postseason resume. But we're not seeing that guy. We're seeing a fourth or fifth starter.

Meanwhile, what's up with Brad Penny? Did you see that line against the Phillies? 8 IP (which he never did in Boston), 5 hits, 1 walk and only 102 pitches. He got 57 percent of is outs on three or fewer pitches. Coming on top of the Smoltz business, if this keeps up, maybe we do have to start questioning John Farrell. Either that, or downgrade the NL to Triple A status. Smoltzie dazzled the Nats and Padres. Penny did it to the Phils,, the reigning champs who are said to have an AL lineup.

Nothing has changed in the Big Picture. The Yankees spent the dough and it looks like they're in good position to reap the benefits. They should win it all. The pressure is off everyone else, Red Sox included. If the Yankees don't get it done this year, get ready to do your best Ralph Kramden hard-har-hardy-har-har imitation. They will have no excuses.