All-Star Break Headlines from an Alternate Universe

BOSTON - When old-time baseball folk say you can never have enough pitching, pay attention. They know what they're talking about.

The Boston Red Sox, featuring a five-man rotation of Schilling - Beckett - Matsuzaka - Papelbon - Wakefield, have capitalized on every available opportunity and hold a 15-game lead going into the All-Star break.


Perhaps the most important decision of the season occured in spring training, when general manager Theo Epstein did not give in to the short-sighted Beantown fans and kept young gun Jonathan Papelbon in the starting rotation. Epstein, who stood behind his assertion of 2006 that Papelbon's shoulder could not maintain the rigorous demands put upon a closer, has looked like a genius as Papelbon has blossomed into a front-line starter, matching the win-loss record of pricey Japanese import Daisuke Matsuzaka in the first half.

Epstein, who confidently tabbed unheralded free agent signee Hideki Okajima as the stopper in his bullpen, has reaped dividends from Game One. Okajima has exceeded all expectations and anchored one of the best pens in baseball. Flanked by setup men Brendan Donnelly and pleasant suprise Manny Delcarmen, the Sox relievers have not wanted for Papelbon all season.

Eccentric swingman Julian Tavarez, who provided vital long-relief service earlier in the season, was able to seamlessly enter the rotation when Curt Schilling went down with an injury. Tavarez, who could easily be a fifth starter on many top MLB teams, has provided much-appreciated depth to the starting rotation all season. Ably filling the long man start in Tavarez's absence, Kason Gabbard has continued this theme of pitching depth and made the Sox core even more dangerous.

"Jon is the kind of guy who is going to excel no matter where we put him," Epstein said during the recent All-Star game festivities. "I was never naiive enough to believe we could replace the numbers he put up last year, but the trade-off of giving him the ball for six innings every fifth day has been more than worth it. It has been amazing watching the friendly competition between Paps and Daisuke as they both learn to pitch in the bigs, and we're looking forward to watching them pitch on consecutive days for the better part of the next ten years."