Stick a fork in Jason Varitek

If Friday night's game didn't convince you that Jason Varitek's time as a starting catcher has passed him by, I've got a fantastic house with a view of the ocean for you in Wyoming.

On the year, Varitek's given up 107 stolen bases while catching only 15, for a god-awful 12% success rate. The last time hitters stole more than 81 stolen bases off of Varitek was in 1999-2000, in full swing of the anti-stretch policy that Joe Kerrigan endorsed. But back then, he was able to catch runners 27 and 25 percent of the time, respectively. Huge difference.

Varitek's arm has simply abandoned him. The game should bring clarity to the fact that 'Tek can't gun them out anymore.

Deadline Darlings: Bay vs. Martinez

For two consecutive seasons, Theo Epstein and the Boston Red Sox front office have made a splash on the infamous "Deadline Day". His shrewd ability to assess his team and aggressively make maneuvers to address any weaknesses or "fatal flaws" has been well documented and proven out year over year.

The question I pose to you all today, is who was larger impact on their respective teams in the year of their deadline day acquisition; Jason Bay in 2008 or Victor Martinez in 2009?

Of course much of VMart's story is still to be written and Bay's success last post-season places a high bar against which Martinez will be measured, but there is certainly enough of a sample between July 31 and today from which to engage the conversation.

KC 5, BOS 1: Byrd Gets His Wings Clipped In First

A five run first inning by the Kansas City Royals did the Red Sox in last night, as the boys from Boston drop the second game of a four game series, 5-1.

Paul Byrd shook off the missteps of the first inning and went on to throw 6.2 innings, but the damage was already done, as Zack Greinke held off the Boston bats with another dominating performance.

Projecting the Playoffs, The Case for Kotchman

With just 20 games left and a 4 1/2 game lead in the Wild Card, what exactly are the chances for our beloved Sox to play in October? Baseball Prospectus seems to think they're pretty high, but Texas has life yet.

And who, exactly, is the Red Sox' most unappreciated player. Surely, it couldn't be Casey Kotchman. Though he doesn't always see the field, he provides stability at a key position on the diamond, while simultaneously solidifying the team's outlook at ... catcher?

Projecting the Playoffs

With just 20 games remaining in the regular season, the Sox' Hunt for Red October is getting stronger by the day. At this juncture, with this team, a 4 ½ game lead in the Wild Card is a considerable advantage. Don't get cozy though, as one hot or cold stretch can completely change the complexion of this race. Still, it's looking pretty good for the Sox, as Baseball Prospectus gives the Red Sox...

Tweets on the Red Sox’s 25-man roster

In a homage to Twitter, the new social media application that is changing how news is delivered (in the same vein how blogs changed everything) I bring to you a summary of each Red Sox player on the 25-man roster in 140 characters or less (the maximum number of characters you can enter on Twitter).

Have Twitter? Follow me. Tim's on too. Oh, and Fire Brand has one as well. You'll notice that had you followed Fire Brand, you would have gotten all these tweets last night.

DONE DEAL: Victor Martinez a Red Sox; LaRoche to Braves for Kotchman

Bob Nightengale of USA Today says that Victor Martinez is about to become a Boston Red Sox.

Sox to get both Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee?

Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse tweets that the Red Sox have told people they are trying to pull off a big deal, bigger than Roy Halladay. Price goes on to speculate it may be a Cliff Lee/Victor Martinez package, as reported earlier by Joel Sherman. The Sox also have been keeping tabs on the Los Angeles Dodgers' farm team. It could be related to this big trade, or the Dodgers might be interested in acquiring a bullpen arm, most likely bringing Takashi Saito back.

Trade watch: Theo ‘burning midnight oil’

All the recent trade rumors around the Sox have your head spinning? No worries. Evan summarizes everything you need to know leading up to the trade deadline and handicaps the Sox's chances.

7 names to watch for as Red Sox approach deadline

With the acquisition of Adam LaRoche and Chris Duncan, the Red Sox have made some aggressive moves to shore up their offense. With the moves, it is likely that the Sox are done acquiring anyone who primarily plays first and left field. Thus, Ryan Spilborghs and Josh Willingham have been removed from the list below outlining several names to keep an eye on. I've also removed Scott Rolen, as the LaRoche acquisition means we can give Lowell breaks and put Youkilis at third.

This leaves three more names to fill up to reach the 15 bats I promised in part one. I added one more bat, but for the other two names, I've gone ahead and slotted pitching in there, largely in response to this article in the Globe, which states the Sox probably have their hands in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes now given the recent pitching struggles of the Sox. I'm not sold on the chances of a big move, but the pitching has certainly got to a point where it's not out of the realm of possibility to see a trade for a pitcher.

CLE 9, BOS 2: Joking aside

There was absolutely nothing to laugh about. Aaron Laffey was stellar out of the bullpen for the Cleveland Indians and any jokes made about Carl Pavano entering the contest were squashed, quickly.