Couple quick thoughts about last night's game/gamethread:
Those people who are writing off DiceK are going to be sorely disappointed next year. When he gets an offseason of conditioning under his belt, he's going to be crazy good next year. Keep in mind, the season in Japan are shorter, he gets more rest in between starts over there, and he's using a different ball. Also keep in mind that Japan's like the size of California, so traveling fatigue is much less.
Second, Francona managed the ballgame perfectly last night. I have my criticisms of Tito but he did a hell of a job. Lopez got the job done. Delcarmen gave them 4 outs, and when he allowed a baserunner Tito went right for his horses. With two out and nobody on in the 8th, he goes to his closer. It worked out beautifully. When he brought Papelbon for four outs you knew he had the confidence his team was going to score in the 8th or 9th to end it. Just a perfectly managed game all around.
Oh, and Manny's ball was relatively well struck.