Sports Sunday

On the heels of his woeful performance in Friday's game vs. the Redskins, the Patriots have cut backup QB Kevin O'Connell. Considering the team invested a third round pick in O'Connell in the 2008 draft, this move comes as a surprise. However, it had been reported by Pro Football Weekly earlier in the week that the team wasn't happy with the way O'Connell was progressing even before the exhibition game vs. the Redskins. Right now, the Pats depth chart is Tom Brady, Andrew Walter, and undrafted free agent Brian Hoyer.

Here's hoping KC QB Matt Cassel is ok after leaving the game with a left leg injury in Saturday's game vs. the Seahawks. With the way Cassel handled taking over the QB reins from Tom Brady last year, he ranks as a favorite at this address and I'd love to see him tear up the AFC West for the Chiefs.

The Red Sox completed a sweep of the hapless Toronto Blue Jays today with a 7-0 victory. If I had been in Las Vegas, I would've lost a lot of money, because I would've put a bet on Roy Halladay to beat Paul Byrd. Byrd, in his first start of the season, was excellent, pitching six shutout innings. Halladay continued his August struggles.

Alex Gonzalez has come in and stabilized the SS position over the last two weeks. He's hitting well, too! Frankly, he never should've left after the 2006 season. Opting for Julio Lugo over Alex Gonzalez to play SS during that offseason ranks as one of GM Theo Epstein's biggest blunders.

In the Wild Card race, the Red Sox now are 5.5 games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays, a team they have struggled against the last two seasons. I'm not concerned about the Texas Rangers, but the Rays do worry me. They seem to have the Red Sox figured out.

A big key to the Red Sox postseason chances is a healthy and "in shape" Daisuke Matsuzaka returning to the team. Supposedly, the team is happy with his conditioning and his arm should be well rested. We'll see how it goes, when he's back with the team in the next week.