This was my favorite Red Sox related part:
> “What the Red Sox have right now, they’re on the cusp — remember things back in 2004, and not just because of the World Series, but because of the young players, [the Red Sox] got really, really exciting there?” Passan said. “That’s happening again. Not all these guys will turn out well. … They have so much inventory in the mid- to upper-level minors that the Red Sox have a chance to be devastatingly good the next five years if they play their cards right.”
But this comments about Jonathan Papelbon were also a highlight:
> “That’s like a prom date that ends up looking like ‘Carrie,’ ” Passan said, referencing the Stephen King novel and subsequent movie by the same name. “It’s really, really ugly there. You guys know Jonathan Papelbon, did you expect anything less? He’s an infant, and he always has been. He happens to be an infant who can pitch very well, but he’s running into that lovely phenomenon that all of us do called aging. And he’s losing juice on his fastball and turning around and blaming others for what he feels like is a bad situation that he has plenty to do with.”
Ouch.