BoSox21

honestly, did anyone expect anything less from Francona? The man has displayed his class and professionalism at every given opportunity since he arrived in Boston, and probably over his entire career although I wasn't familiar with him before

He said that because the WS victory allowed Francona to be the manager and by his logic, if his manager is doing the game, he'd be the go-to guy to close it out

I can tolerate the booing during player introductions because if they choose to present the players by saying their team name first, then it's inviting the fans to react according to the team they play for. But I do find it classless to boo Drew when he ties the game and when he wins the MVP award

they're definitely a WS contender and have as good a shot as any team in baseball but nothing is ever guaranteed. the bullpen will HAVE to improve to have any shot and it might be a bit foolish to think Masterson is gonna solve that problem by himself

Bowden has officially been promoted to Triple A Pawtucket according to WEEI and SoxProspects.com

threatening the wife is a bit much but it is nice to see characters on each side (Mini-Stein, Paps) emerging to add some spice to the rivalry, something that, to me, has been missing for a few years I long for the days of Petey yelling at Jorge from the mound

here's a debate that'll start pretty soon....Hamilton or A-Rod?

big deal, if the NL wins then the Sox will finally be able to celebrate a WS at Fenway

I couldnt give a s*** if they boo and who they boo. They found a ticket into the stadium so let them do what they want. If they shouldn't boo any Red Sox, then they shouldn't cheer any Yankees any louder than they would another all-star. im actually excited to see Papelbon get the s*** booed out of him.....threatening his wife during the 6th avenue parade is another story though

it's stupid that there is anything at stake in the first place

Then maybe it should be up to Cliff Lee to go to Francona and ask that Rivera take his spot the way A-Rod moved to third so Ripken could start at SS in his final game

It is an interesting argument but it wouldn't be fair to the starting pitchers who were named to the team. It's not as if Mo won't get into the game. And I think having Jeter and A-Rod in the starting lineup gives the Yankees a prominent-enough role

I'm not gonna say he would've turned into Derek Jeter just cause he would've been hitting in Fenway. And I agree, Papelbon's comments were stupid but he's a confident guy and that's part of his moxie so that being said, I wouldn't change him.

Worked out pretty well for you guys? I guess Yankee fan standards have dropped since you're happy with 0 titles in the 4 years and counting A-Rod has been a Yankee. And Manny was the WS MVP in '04, I firmly believe A-Rod would never have and will never win that award in his career. I agree Paps statistically isn't in the upper echelon of closers but if it's game 7 of the WS, who do you want on the mound (besides Mo) between Papelbon, K-Rod, Soria and Nathan?

Probably as good as not trading Manny for A-Rod. BTW, how's that acquisition going for you guys?

I did mean to mention ESPN, but I only used their quotes

I see improvement with the 2.92 ERA he had in June, where he allowed runs in only 2 of 13 appearances. He hasn't been great in July but that was one bad series against Tampa. When he's on, he's incredible and considering his age and stuff, I would rather the FO not give up on him yet

Hansen has good enough stuff that the Sox would be fools to give up on him already. He was in college 3 years ago and say what you want about him, but he has made strides this year

I know there isn't usually a thread for the ASG but there is a distinct Red Sox flavor to it so I figure why not. If it isn't needed, I'm sure a mod will destroy it... Lineups: National League 1. Hanley Ramirez 2. Chase Utley 3. Lance Berkman 4. Albert Pujols 5. Chipper Jones 6. Matt Holliday 7. Ryan Braun 8. Kosuke Fukudome 9. Geovany Soto P. Ben Sheets American League 1. Ichiro Suzuki 2. Derek Jeter 3. Josh Hamilton 4. Alex Rodriguez 5. Manny Ramirez 6. Milton Bradley 7. Kevin Youkilis 8. Joe Mauer 9. Dustin Pedroia P. Cliff Lee

When speaking to the media yesterday, Jonathan Papelbon came out and said he feels he deserves the ball for the American League in the 9th inning of tonight's all-star game ahead of Mariano Rivera, despite the fact that the game will be played in Yankee Stadium. "We've both earned that right; us, by winning the World Series and having the opportunity of having our manager there and our team being represented, and Mariano by what he's done for this role, we're in Yankee Stadium and blah, blah, blah," Papelbon said. "It's not that easy. Everybody thinks it's a cut and dry answer, but it's not. "If I was managing the team, I would close," Papelbon said. "I'm not managing the team, so it don't matter." But Rivera feels the same way about taking the mound for the ninth. "It's definitely tough, but we're here in Yankee Stadium. I think I should get the shot," Rivera said. "I definitely would love to. Knowing [Red Sox manager] Terry Francona, I have a feeling he'll put me there if we have the opportunity to close the game." However, later on in the day, Papelbon backed off his comments somewhat, most likely after someone approached him to explain that his comments might not go over very well. "I'm making a statement right now, saying I don't want it, I want [Rivera] to have it. I said all that earlier, but that's the way I feel about it," Papelbon said. "This is what I think, of course I want to close the game out. I wouldn't be Jonathan Papelbon if I didn't want to close the game out," he said. "But at the same time, there's also things within this game I have to understand and people have to understand. It doesn't always work out that way. "I feel I owe a lot to this game and that's one of the things I owe to this game, to let an elder statesman go ahead of me." Personally, I think every great closer has the attitude that they always want to be the go-to guy in the 9th, regardless of the significance of the game and like I've said before, Papelbon's attitude sometimes provides stupid comments, but it's also part of the package that makes him a great closer. - ESPN.com

I really hope they write a book about Hamilton one day

I think anyone who ever brings up the question "why the hell watch the home run derby?" from now on can point to tonight as a reason