Rockies' 'Dragon Slayer' is work of art

Colorado Rockies pitcher Josh Fogg is a big fan of art — especially when it's a painting of himself.

Fogg arrived in the clubhouse Saturday to find a mural of him slaying a dragon with baseballs hanging on a nail above his locker.

He didn't know who was responsible for the airbrushed painting but loved the piece.

"I'm pretty impressed," said Fogg, who will start Game 3 of the NL championship series against Arizona on Sunday night. "It's well done."

Fogg was nicknamed "Dragon Slayer" by teammate Matt Holliday shortly before the Rockies' wild-card tiebreaker against San Diego on Oct. 1. It was a reference to Fogg's ability to come up big against another team's ace.

Fogg outpitched Arizona's Brandon Webb in early September and also showed off his stuff in interleague play by beating Mike Mussina of the New York Yankees and Boston's Curt Schilling.

The mural depicts Fogg standing over a defeated dragon that has its tongue rolled out and a baseball lodged in the middle of its forehead.

"This is definitely a little treat," he said.

In the artwork, though, Fogg has ripped biceps.

"I think it looks just like me," he said with a grin.

Since he's staying at a local hotel and doesn't have a car, he's not sure what he'll do with the painting.

But that's for another time.

Right now, his main focus is on his first start of the postseason. He pitched two scoreless innings of relief against Philadelphia in the NL division series.

"That was probably one of my biggest thrills in my life," Fogg said. "But I'm sure (Sunday) will be a little more nerve-racking."

ONE GAME AT A TIME: Red Sox manager Terry Francona said the decision to pull Josh Beckett after 80 pitches in Game 1 was not an attempt to get him back on the mound an extra time in the AL championship series.

"That had nothing to do with it," Francona said before Game 2 on Saturday night against the Cleveland Indians.

Francona did note that it was cold and Beckett sat through some long innings while Boston jumped out to a 10-2 lead.

Beckett and Indians ace C.C. Sabathia would be pitching on three days' rest if they came back to start Game 4 on Tuesday. They could then come back for Game 7 on their regular four days of rest.