By: Dan Podheiser, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Red Sox GM Theo Epstein did not make any big moves at the trading deadline.
Shipping reliever Ramon Ramirez to the Giants, bringing in once-promising minor league catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia from Texas and acquiring Eric Patterson from Oakland way back in late June were all shrewd moves by Epstein.
But they weren’t earth-shaking. They weren’t the kinds of moves that catapult a team that trails the two other best teams in baseball by over five games into first place.
All that said, Epstein believes that his current roster — which will eventually be healthy — has the ability to make a run at the Yankees and Rays for an AL playoff spot.
I have a tough time following that mindset. Boston is riddled by injuries, so much so that it’s been forced to call up minor leaguers like Ryan Kalish and Daniel Nava well before they probably should be.
So far, you have to give props to Epstein, Terry Francona and all of the Red Sox reserves in 2010 for the tremendous job they’ve done. With a win over the Indians on Tuesday night, Boston improved to 61-45, the sixth-best record in baseball. And that’s with a team that’s made [...]

By: Dan Podheiser, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
The Red Sox and Phillies are definitely not the biggest rivalry in baseball.
Since interleague play started in 1997, the two clubs get together to play a three-game series once, maybe twice a year. The stadiums are always packed, but in the end, it’s just like any other series between two competitive ball clubs.
But as the Sox get ready to welcome the Phils’ to Fenway for a three-game set this weekend, I couldn’t help but notice the recent cosmic connection between these two historic franchises.
In 2004, Boston welcomed a new manager to town by the name of Terry Francona.
Tito, a moniker that Francona assumed long before arriving in Beantown, had only managed for one other big league team before the Red Sox. That team was the Phillies, and he led them to a lackluster 285-363 record from 1997 to 2000. (Take a look at the picture above. Weird right? And Francona looks SO YOUNG!)
Before the “bloody sock” became part of Boston sports folklore, Curt Schilling made a name for himself in the City of Brotherly Love.
In 1993, the 27-year-old Schilling pitched a five-hit shutout in Game 5 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
In [...]