The Professor, I presume

Let’s start at the beginning: there’s no one more surprised at Tim Wakefield’s success than me.

The Professor is proving his worth, game in, game out.

He’s old. He looks like your uncle, you know, the nice, quiet one who always lets you sneak sneak away with the extra slice of pizza marked for him while he makes a third gin and tonic, then pretends he never noticed it was there. He’s that comfortable now; Tim Wakefield is Red Sox family.

But this year, the 42 year-old celebrated his birthday in style, winning his 13th game by going seven full innings, allowing just three runs. He’s come back from an injury plagued 2006 to earn a tie for most wins in the AL. He has a decision in all 22 of his starts. And, as ESPN analyst and former Boston Globe Red Sox writer Peter Gammons said on Mike Felger’s drive-time show on WAMG-890 AM an hour ago, “He might be the most overlooked great athlete in Boston. In a long time.”

That’s an understatement. Sox fans take Wakefield for granted. In fact, they even bemoan going to his starts, because there’s no sizzle there. There’s no sex appeal to winning ugly, 7-4 games with a pitcher whose fastball - what was that 83 mph thing? - is slower than the closer Jonathan Papelbon’s change up.

But that’s also what makes Wake so great. And it even makes it worth putting up with Doug Mirabelli behind the dish, with his occasional power shows - like yesterday - and boneheaded base-running blunders - like yesterday’s - included.

Doh! Dougie found a unique way to pay tribute to the new Simpsons movie.

In a way, it was incredibly fitting that while the Professor pitched on his birthday, he was also hurling on the anniversary of Bobby Doerr day, and that the ever-classy second-baseman extraordinaire was in attendance at Fenway … for his final game. It also seemed fitting that one of the big offensive stars was a center fielder with a suddenly incredibly sound all-around game, who also had the historic presence of mind to request to wear Jackie Robinson’s number on JR day earlier this year.

And it was fitting that the Professor was relieved by an erudite Japanese pitcher who throws without looking at the plate, relying on his touch for the ball and feel for the game. And that that pitcher was relieved by a new addition whose coke-bottle glasses and milk jug physique make him look more like someone working behind the counter of a Barnes and Noble at the Harry Potter launch than in the Fenway bullpen.

It all seemed fitting. It all was fitting. And it all proves just how important - and damn good - Wakefield has been all year. Here’s hoping he keeps it up. If he does, I’ll even swallow my pride and start the Cy Young campaign myself.

– Cameron Smith