Jonathan Papelbon News

Josh Reddick was one of the Red Sox top hitting prospects ever since he burst onto the prospect scene in his first season in Low A back in 2007.

You hear that? Yeah, me neither. It is the sound, or the silence, of Closer Gate 2012.

Alfredo Aceves jogged out of the bullpen at Comerica Park in Detroit on April 8, charged with protecting a three-run lead for the Red Sox in the ninth inning.

Cole Hamels proved to be the streak stopper the Phillies needed. Hamels, whose no-hit bid was broken up with one out in the sixth inning, allowed four hits through eight innings in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park.

After a four-month run as the best team in baseball last summer, the Boston Red Sox collapsed, missing the playoffs after posting a dismal 7-20 record in September.

With the 2012 MLB draft quickly approaching, it's time to shift the focus of the Boston Red Sox towards the future of the franchise and those players who hope to make that a success.

Major League Baseball has been trying to draw more attention to its annual amateur draft in recent years.

It was at Camden Yards where the season ended for the Red Sox last year, the Baltimore Orioles scoring two runs off Jonathan Papelbon in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 162.

Celtics center Kevin Garnett took a shot at Sixers fans after Game 5 Monday night when asked to compare crowd at TD Garden in Boston to the one at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

It is where young players wait for the rookie leagues to begin in June, and injured players wait to be healed.

Maybe earlier in the year if Cole Hamels wasn't on top of his game, a result like Friday's 6-4 win over the Boston Red Sox wouldn't have been possible.

Boston Herald Sports Writer Patriots beat writer John Tomase joined the Herald in 2005 after six years covering the Red Sox.

Hours after Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel and umpire Bob Davidson were suspended for their nose-to-nose argument on Tuesday, we had another memorable clash between manager and umpire at Citizens Bank Park Friday night.

Or maybe the headline should read, "What to do with Kevin Youkilis when he returns?" A With Youkilis rehabbing in Pawtucket and approaching a return to Boston, Red Sox management will be faced with a decision.

If it was possible, Jonathan Papelbon is even more off his rocker with the Phillies than he was with the Red Sox.

Jonathan Papelbon and the Phillies take aim at his former team the Boston Red Sox in interleague play this weekend.

Welcome to the first installment of interleague play this season. This, of course, is just an appetizer, as the main course will not arrive for about a month.

Jonathan Papelbon #58 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates his save and a Phillies victory over the Chicago Cubs on May 17, 2012 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois.

It was Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn, Charlie Sheen 's character from the movie ' Major League ,' that inspired the use of actual recordings for player walk-ups. In the 1989 film, Sheen's reckless relief pitcher entered games to ' Wild Thing ,' a 1965 frat-house hit for the Troggs later covered by punk band X . The now-retired Williams inherited the ... (more)

Those early weeks of the season, when every call to the bullpen left manager Bobby Valentine searching for an antacid tablet, now seem like a very long time ago.