I have bad, bad memories of Francona from down in Philly, too. I can only hope he has changed from the days when Doug Glanville and Marlon Anderson batted at the top of the lineup, when Rico Brogna played every day at 1B, when Schilling and Byrd had their arms slagged clean off.

The one thing I've read that gives me some hope (from the Hohler article about the coming of Tendu and "quant" analysis):

[Rick Peterson] said Terry Francona, the Oakland bench coach who is a front-runner to become the next Sox manager, regularly used the sources to help develop "Cliffs Notes" for A's pitchers and hitters.

No one says how good these reports are, but at least he's open to the use of such data.

I should also admit - though it is shameful and fanboy-ish - that I am reasonably confident that if Theo and co like Francona, then he has changed.

I know I have no evidence for this. I just need to admit that I think Theo and John Henry are dreamy, and I can't help the way I feel.

Luis Castillo is the 2B version of Roger Cedeno. He's a perfect fit for the Mets.

I have to second Mike C's comment. My reading of the page does not show any random words appearing as hyperlinks.

Half of Schilling's guaranteed $12M is deferred, so there's no reason for panic this year. He would put the Sox payroll in the $112-120 range, which isn't over budget at all.

After this year, so much salary comes off the books that we just have no idea where the payroll will go.