I am quickly becoming a huge Ken Rosenthalfan, and just wanted to pass along his thoughts on the Sox and their level of "concern" over nagging injuries to both 35-year-old Manny Ramirez and 31-year-old David Ortiz. So, does this level of concern put the Sox front office at DEFCON 5 or DEFCON 1?

Are the Red Sox concerned about Manny Ramirez battling an oblique injury?
KR: [The Red Sox] are concerned and they have to be concerned. He will probably be out for about 10 days at least. If you follow baseball then you know that these injuries can be very problematic and can keep players out for quite some time.

What this means for the Red Sox is that the great dynamic of Ortiz and Manny Ramirez has been temporarily broken up. Ortiz as well has had physical issues himself this season and that’s also a concern. The Red Sox are the best team in the American League and maybe the best team in baseball, but if they’re not healthy in the postseason they will be vulnerable.