Say it ain't so, Mo! Did Mariano Rivera's agent pursue the Red Sox?

I saw that Rob Bradford of Boston radio station WEEI is reporting that "Mariano Rivera's representatives were the ones to initiate contact with the Red Sox in an attempt to get the team interested in the closer." Yikes! (Hat tip to Sliding Into Home)

The article also claims that contrary to other reports, the Red Sox really weren't going to non-tender Jonathan Papelbon:

While there was some thought that because of the offer to Rivera the Red Sox were prepared to non-tender closer Jonathan Papelbon, separate sources suggest the Sox were never inclined to let Papelbon become a free agent this offseason. In the short-term, the team valued the reliever's presence in the back-end of its bullpen, while long-term it coveted any draft picks that might come the Sox' way if Papelbon were to sign elsewhere in free agency next year. The Sox' closer is arbitration-eligible for a third time, and is heading into the final season of being controlled by the Sox.

I dunno what to think about this article. Could this be damage control from the Red Sox camp, given that Boston still has one more year of Papelbon, and that they could be headed into another arbitration hearing with him? Remember, Papelbon is the closer who thought he, not Mo, should get to close the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. Are Boston sources trying to spin this to make Rivera look bad?

So what do you think, readers?

Oh, no, Mariano! Rangers beat Yankees in walkoff fashion

I was completely exhausted last night after a long day, so I ended up falling asleep when the Rangers were leading the Yankees, figuring I would watch the replay later. Which meant I missed seeing Alex Rodriguez's homer live to tie the game.

And maybe the Yankees could have won if Squawker Jon didn't call me at the end of nine innings to see what I thought about the game so far. I was in dreamland then, and woke up startled. So I eventually made it to the television, only to see the Rangers loading up the  bases -- and eventually beating the great Mariano Rivera. What a nightmare! So I blamed Squawker Jon for this terrible twist of  fate, of course!



What do you think? Tell us about it!

Oh no, Mariano! What a way to end the weekend!

As good as Saturday's game was - Andy Pettitte looking very sharp, Mark Teixeira and Jorge Posada hitting homers, and the whole team looking sharp - Sunday's game was pretty bad.

I was running around doing errands, and just around the time Mariano Rivera came into the game for a four-out save, I had to leave my car for a few minutes to pick up some food. A few minutes later, I get a call from my brother, asking "Do you know what happened in the game?" He was watching it on the TBS national broadcast, so he told me about the bases-loaded walk, and the grand slam. I felt like I got punched in the stomach. Yikes!

Then I called Squawker Jon to tell him what happened, and his voice perked up. I haven't heard him so happy since, um, the last gut-wrenching Yankee loss! Sheesh. Of course, he needed something to cheer him up after the latest Met debacle. I did make sure to bring up how John Maine threw12 balls in a row the night before to start the game.

My Facebook friend Joe - a Red Sox fan - blames me (!) for Mariano and "Joba the Mutt," as he calls him, spitting the bit today. He thinks I brought "negative karma" to the Yankees by my rooting for the Philadelphia Flyers over the Boston Bruins this weekend. Joe says:

"The sports gods don't like transferring loyalties strictly to hate...they penalize you somewhere else. It's OK to hate on the nemesis, but you can't become a "fan". You goofed by becoming a Flyer "fan" instead of just a Bruins "hater"... by the way - how's the Magic loyalty going for you so far?

Ouch!

Speaking of Joes, I forgot to mention that Joe Mauer is dead to me, after he failed to sell his soul become a free agent. What the heck is wrong with that guy, re-signing with the Twins and staying with his home state? He'll never get to host "Saturday Night Live" now!

What do you think? Tell us about it!