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Eric
08-28-2008, 11:31 PM
New York Times article about the game used items collected from the last red sox series at yankee stadium...

August 29, 2008
A Loss Deflates Boston, and More Worries Await

By JACK CURRY
All 29 soiled Red Sox jerseys from Thursday’s game were placed in a black laundry cart in the clubhouse. An authenticator applied a silver sticker to each jersey to verify that it had been worn during the final regular-season game between the Red Sox and the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The cart was latched like a bank truck and hustled out the door.

One of the jerseys in the cart belonged to Josh Beckett. Beckett did not pitch in the last series against the Yankees and the Red Sox were not sure when he would pitch again. Much more depressing to the Red Sox than their 3-2 loss to the Yankees in their 773rd game here was the notion that Beckett would not start Friday. Beckett’s next jersey will not get sweaty for a while.

Instead of joining his teammates at Fenway Park, Beckett will travel to Birmingham, Ala., to have his injured elbow examined by Dr. James Andrews, a noted orthopedic surgeon. While General Manager Theo Epstein said Beckett was visiting Andrews “mainly for his peace of mind,” it was an ominous development for the Red Sox.

Without a healthy and effective Beckett pitching in September and, more important, in the playoffs in October, Boston’s chances of repeating as World Series champions would be impaired. Other Red Sox starters have superior statistics to Beckett, but he is the team’s ace. Beckett is 6-2 with a 1.73 career earned run average in the postseason.

“You hope that things will work out and he’ll bounce back,” catcher Jason Varitek said. “We’ll let time dictate that. If not, we’ve got to make things work without him.”

Beckett has not started since Aug. 17 after feeling a tingling in his fingers. When the Red Sox removed him from Friday’s start, it marked the third time he had been scheduled to pitch and could not. That is a scary sign at any point in the season, but especially with one month left.

Epstein discussed Beckett’s injury in Manager Terry Francona’s cramped office at the Stadium, but he provided few details. When Epstein was asked if Beckett’s tingling was gone, he said, “Not necessarily.”

Epstein would not say what medical tests Beckett had undergone or might need. Despite this development, Epstein said the team remained “pretty optimistic” that Beckett was improving.

“It’s just the way he’s feeling,” Epstein said. “The elbow itself does not feel 100 percent.”

After Jason Giambi’s run-scoring single off Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth inning vaulted the Yankees to a win that might be too little, too late, Francona was morose. The Red Sox still have a six-game lead over the Yankees for the wild card, so some of Francona’s misery might have been connected to what was happening with Beckett.

When Giambi’s bases-loaded single landed in front of center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, he did not have a play at home, so he held onto the ball. Ellsbury held onto it all the way to the clubhouse, until he tucked it in his equipment bag. Once Boston’s last game here was history, Ellsbury held on to some history.

“It would have been nice if it ended in our favor,” Ellsbury said. “But I got the last regular-season game, the last ball used.”

Sean Casey was impressed by Ellsbury’s ingenuity.

“That’s good,” Casey said. “I’ll see if I can get it from him.”

Actually, Casey had already secured some mementos. He bought four bases that were used during the series and also had a plastic bag filled with Stadium dirt. Paul Byrd bought eight game-used bases and also packed up some dirt. Mike Lowell scooped up one game-used ball.

“There are so many cool things that have happened here,” Casey said. “I wanted to bring a piece of history back to my house.”

Before Papelbon opposed Giambi, Justin Masterson had allowed a single and two walks. That meant Masterson ended up with the loss in the last game the Red Sox would play here. He did not mind.

“My name’s in the book,” Masterson said, a smile creeping over his face.

Papelbon’s name will be highlighted, too, since he was the last Red Sox pitcher to toss a pitch at the Stadium. Once Papelbon’s high fastball turned into Giambi’s single, his shoulders slumped and he barreled toward the third-base dugout. The other Red Sox followed Papelbon, with Jed Lowrie being the last man off the field. Papelbon was not in the mood to discuss history or anything else: He declined an interview request.

Ellsbury was shrewd enough to keep the last ball and imitate what Doug Mientkiewicz did when Boston won the 2004 World Series. But Ellsbury did not think about something simpler, about packing away a few handfuls of dirt.

“That’s a good idea,” Ellsbury, standing by his locker. “I might have to run out there real quick.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/sports/baseball/29curry.html?_r=1&ref=sports&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin