Wakefield Set to Return, But For How Long?

After a successful side-session on Friday and strenth test on Saturday, Tim Wakefield prepares to return to the hill on Monday. The return should put him in line for the playoff push, though the reports coming out of Boston are not the most encouraging: He will pitch once every ten days through the end of the season. He has a "loose bone fragment" in his lower back which will need offseason surgery and the resultant rehab. And... that's a lot for a pitcher to endure, especially one with a family, two rings, and nothing left to prove on the mound. Which is why I will watch Wakefield's next few starts a little more intently, with no distractions and my undivided attention. I won't take him for granted any longer. Wakefield is still at the top of his game. The great thing about a knuckleballer is that his success does not depend much on velocity, so as long as he can make that ball flutter, he will be a quality pitcher. But the man is 43, and, a...