Daily Links - Friday Edition

Off days are so weird. I'm sure they're a relief to players and coaches, but to me, well, I'm a creature of habit. I want to fire up the Sox game at 4pm, man, and when it ain't there, God, I feel naked! Naked!! Or at least shirtless.

Link time!

Eric Bedard is here and it seems that Tim Wakefield has cemented himself in the fifth starter slot. So what becomes of Andrew Miller now? Over at the Providence Journal, Brian MacPherson takes a look at Miller and his role with the Red Sox going forward. Of course, there aren't many answers because answers to this question don't actually exist. Miller is in purgatory in a sense (though not nearly as bad), as he's caught in between the Sox rotation, which he isn't quite good enough to crack, and the Sox bullpen, within which he doesn't really have a role. For now he'll sit, wait, and pitch when called. Likely the Sox will try to keep Miller in this limbo state (unless an injury pops up) until the rosters expand on September 1st. At that point they can stash him on the end of the bench and worry about him later.

The fabulous Paul Lukas at UniWatch shares his well researched story of the early 1960s Columbus Yankees minor league team and their Confederate Battle Flag uniform patch. The incredible thing is that Mr. Lukas was able to contact so many members of the team, a team from the early 1960s, and not one person recalled the patch. It's hard to fathom how something which would now cause an nation-wide uproar was met with such indifference as to not make a peep. But it was. I guess in an odd sort of way that's progress.

Forgive me this digression: many public schools are named for local or national figures of note, your Thomas Jeffersons, your Martin Luther King, Jr's., your George Washingtons. Growing up in Virginia, I attended J.E.B. Stuart High School. You may not be familiar with Stuart, a lesser known general who fought on the side of the Confederacy in the Civil War (or, depending on whom you are speaking with, the War of Northern Aggression), but if not, you likely have heard of Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis. All of these men have high schools named after them close to where I grew up. And yet I don't recall one person making any noise about this. My freshman year they removed the confederate battle flag, the same one used on the Columbus Yankees' jerseys, from the school logo. It was done quietly and without fanfare. Sometimes there is enough real racism to deal with that symbols fall by the wayside.

Moving back to the Red Sox, Mike Andrews of Sox Prospects (writing at ESPNBoston) takes a look at some possible September call ups the Red Sox might make. The trick to determining whether or not a player will get that cup of coffee is A) whether or not they are on the 40 man roster (if not they need to be, meaning someone else must get cut to make room), and B) if they have a role with the team. Mr. Andrews brings up a good point about Drew Sutton who played well both in Boston and in AAA Pawtucket this season. Unfortunately for Sutton, if called up, when would he play? He isn't a defensive replacement, there are other hitters who would be better suited for pinch hitting duties and there are probably four shortstops ahead of him on the depth chart. His chances of ever seeing the field would be slim.

A few quickies:

Allan at Joy of Sox reminds you to Clear Your Calendar. Post seasons a-com'n.

Do the Red Sox really own C.C. Sabathia? Yankee Analysts takes a look. Hint: Ignore their "facts", of course the Sox own him!

Finally, wow is this ever creepy.