Daily Red Sox Links: Carl Crawford, Daniel Bard, Pedro Ciriaco

Any hope of the Red Sox going on a miraculous run and making it into the postseason may have been destroyed this weekend, as the team dropped two out of three in New York. The biggest news item to come out of this weekend is the continued uncertainty surrounding Carl Crawford and his elbow. Michael Silverman writes that Crawford's absence wouldn't make or break this team. (Michael Silverman; Boston Herald)

• Looking ahead to 2013, one of the stories I will be keeping my eye on the most will be Daniel Bard. Since his failed experiment in the rotation, he has been pitching in Pawtucket, succumbing to similar control issues that hindered him in Boston. Regardless of that, Ben Cherington says Bard will be back in the majors by the end of the year. (Tim Britton; Providence Journal)
• In a season like this one, it is important to take pride in the smaller victories. For example, Pedro Ciriaco continued his baffling success against Yankees' pitching over the weekend, and joined an exclusive club in the process. (Didier Morais; NESN)
• Last week, Felix Hernandez threw the third perfect game of this MLB season. Over at Hardball Times, Jesse Sakstrup wrote this great piece detailing why perfect games are extremely overrated by fans and the media. While I do agree with him analytically, I think he underestimates the "fun" factor. Not all of baseball needs to be all analysis all the time. Watching a perfect game unfold is just fun. (Jesse Saktrup; Hardball Times)

• While the Red Sox were losing a series in New York, their minor league teams were competing back home at this year's Futures at Fenway. (Mike Scandura; Fire Brand of the AL)
• Where has the time gone? In 2002, I was an insane 11 year old boy who was just shaping his love for the game of baseball. I vividly remember following and being fascinated by the upstart Oakland A's twenty game winning streak. Wendy Thurm takes a great look back at this, which was somehow an entire decade ago. (Wendy Thurm; Baseball Nation)
• With the season quickly going down the tubes, Alex Speier says its time to give some of the "kids" playing time to change the culture. I'd agree with his testament about playing some younger players and seeing what they can add to the team. For example, a nice performance from a guy like Jose Iglesias could boost some trade value and he could be moved in the winter as the team looks to improve for 2013. (Alex Speier; WEEI.com)
• In one of the most bizarre stories in baseball this season, Melky Cabrera was caught trying to cover up his elevated testosterone levels that earned him a 50 game suspension. (Matt Snyder; CBS Eye On Baseball)