Although I try to limit the number of sports posts, I can't resist pointing out that it's been a great few days for my favorite Boston sports teams. The Celtics won a decisive game 7 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, despite a brilliant 45 point game by LeBron James. The Red Sox swept a series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Most delightful of all, the Yankees got swept by the cross-town Mets - an event that gives Red Sox fans almost as much pleasure as it does for Mets fans. Thank you Mets!

And now Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester has tossed a no-hitter - the first Red Sox lefty to do so since the great Mel Parnell in 1956. Fenway Park, where Lester pitched this game, is an unusually difficult stadium for lefthanders because of the presence of the famous Green Monster in left field.

Paranthetically, it's interesting to note that four different Red Sox pitchers have achieved no-hitters since 2001 (Hideo Nomo, Derek Lowe, Clay Buchholz, and Lester), after the team went 36 years without a no-hitter from 1965 to 2001. Much of the explanation for the change is probably just random variation. Still, it is also true that the Red Sox have had better pitching over the last seven years than during any other comparably long period since the start of The Curse of the Bambino in 1920. It's no accident that the Curse was ended during a period when the Red Sox finally achieved the goal of sustained excellence on their pitching staff.