As we count down the days until pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers next month, the rumblings around Red Sox Nation continue to be nothing but a whisper. The J.D. Drew contract situation is getting more and more mysterious with each day passing and our projected starting right fielder still not locked up, but people in the organization insist just minor details need to be solved. Most of the free agents, save guys like Weaver, Lawrence and Nixon, have found new homes for next season and beyond. The focus in Boston right now is centered totally on another Patriots run in the playoffs. But one situation still lingers and one bold question remains: If the Red Sox are up 4-3 in the ninth inning on Opening Day, who does Francona send to the mound to close the game out?
Now, the Red Sox are not completely inexperienced to the situation presented to them this season. In 2003, they went with a closer-by-committee which was highly criticized but overblown as a failure. With Foulke injured and ineffective in 2005, Mike Timlin stepped into the role. Curt Schilling closed for a while. And in 2006 after Papelbon went down, there was no surefire candidate at the end of games. I certainly feel like labeling one certain bullpen pitcher as the
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