Daily Red Sox Links: Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz, Jackie Bradley Jr.

Coming to you on tape delay from a thrilling one-person All Star Game viewing party in Amherst, here are today's Daily Links!

• With the All Star break comes a wave of posts that either look back on the first half of the season, or look forward to the potential playoff pushes for the various teams. In that vein, Alex Speier writes that lack of star production was the major contributor to the first half struggles for the Red Sox. (Alex Speier; WEEI.com)
• While a lack of star power is a definite reason for the team's less-than-stellar start, it is certainly not the only reason. As everyone knows, the starting pitching has been awful all year, with no true top of the rotation guy to keep the rotation afloat. (Alex Convery; Fire Brand of the AL)
• Peter Abraham wrote his own recap of the Red Sox season thus far. The size of his "disappointments" and "surprises" tells you all you need to know about this 2012 season. (Peter Abraham; Boston.com)
• Over at Hardball Times, they unveiled their 2012 All-Collapse All-Stars. The Red Sox claimed three spots, although two of those guys are no longer on the team. (Chris Jaffe; Hardball Times)

• In the Herald today, Jon Tomase declared it's time for the Red Sox to become sellers. To back up his point, he used the Mets as a blueprint. To say the least, it's an.......interesting argument. (Jon Tomase; Boston Herald)
• David Ortiz didn't want to get booed like Robinson Cano did Monday night, so he declared he'd take a seat for Billy Butler after just one at bat. Update on the story: he took two at bats. He's a liar, get him! (Matthew Poulliot; NBC Hardball Talk)
• The fantastic Pete Palmer wrote an equally-fantastic piece about the merits of the hit-and-run play. This is the definition of a must-read. (Pete Palmer; Baseball Prospectus)
• Some of the more pessimistic fans among us are already looking towards 2013. With the new season, will come new league alignments. This, in turn, will bring a more balanced schedule, though not as balanced as some (me) would like. (Danny Knobler; CBS Sports)
• With Jacoby Ellsbury potentially leaving after his contract expires at the end of the 2013 season, the Sox will need to find a replacement for the star. They may have one in their minor league system in Jackie Bradley Jr. (Jon Meoli; ESPNBoston via SoxProspects.com)