Meanwhile, tonight's rainout makes Francona's decision to use Papelbon last night look like genius, don't you think?

(Well, genius might be overstating it a bit.)

I tend to agree that this was more of a "win" for the Padres than the Sox. That said, the Sox are trying to win now, and Bard shoring up the backup catcher spot for a few years was not exactly crucial. Not a steal by any means, but a decent, though perhaps desperate, trade by the Sox.

I think the Mirabelli/Loretta trade might still be coloring people's perceptions. The weirdness of that just doesn't go away (though if Loretta's bat doesn't pick up it might, I guess).

Well, and I'm being semifacetious/semiserious here, Francona has bad knees, no? Maybe he could feel in his bones the coming rain. IIRC, Joe and Jerry ssaid that Jonathan was warming up before the Ortiz smash. May as well use him. And he was facing Rodriguez, Matsui, and Posada. It wasn't like he was facing Cano, Cairo, and Crosby.

Papelbon sure gave ARod the time on Monday, eh?

Papelbon is a stud who throws smoke!

I put this thread up because the news item disintegrated into a p***ing match.

Did not!