Daily Red Sox Links: Ben Cherington, Bobby Valentine, Johnny Damon

It would be difficult to fire a manager immediately following a game where his team looking as good as the Red Sox did last night. Mentioning that, by the way, should not be interpreted as any kind of challenge.

In the wake of managerial speculation, GM Ben Cherington opened up to the media about the team, about the culture of the clubhouse, about his own faith in the team, and about communication between Bobby Valentine and front office. (Alex Speier; WEEI.com)

The Red Sox made a trade. No, not Josh Beckett or anyone of that magnitude. They picked up third baseman Danny Valencia from the Twins for Rookie League outfielder Jeremias Pineda. (John Gray; Sox Prospects)

If you've ever thought you could be a major league manager Russell Carleton has a wake up call for you. (Russell Carleton; Baseball Prospectus)

Could this be the end of the road for old pal/enemy Johnny Damon? Quite possibly. (Dustin Parkes; The Score)

One of the more under-researched topics of baseball over the past twenty years has been attendance, so says Dave Cameron of Fan Graphs. (Dave Cameron; Fan Graphs)

Kevin Youkilis has transformed, to some extent anyway, from the player he was in Boston to the player he used to be with Boston. Well, not quite, but closer anyway. Why? (David Golebiewski; Baseball Analytics)

Can the Orioles make the playoffs? They're in decent position - certainly better than Boston - but everyone, everyone being analysts, thinks the fall is coming. So, by the way, does Jay Jaffe. He is, after all, an analyst. (Jay Jaffe; SI.com)

Could long term deals be better for teams than we've previously thought? (Matt Swarz; The Hardball Times)

The Red Sox have a plethora of relievers at the major league level, but there appears to also be a bit of a line forming in the minors. Josh Fields is now in that line. (Aaron Goldsmith; 45 Miles From Fenway)