Henry and Lucchino Speak. The Red Sox should make a decision about their 2004 manager shortly after the World Series. So we'll have an answer in about a week.

John Henry: "Initially, I thought New Englanders would just finally throw up their hands. But their level of commitment and resolve is astonishing and deserves our full attention to moving this franchise forward without a break. It shows you how little I know about the toughness of this region. And it shows me how tough I need to be in making sure that we accomplish our goals. ... How amazing is it, that even the angriest/saddest/most broken-hearted fans offer thanks and remain determined to see this team prevail? It's astonishing. ... There isn't anything I wouldn't do for these people. You know, there isn't anything these people wouldn't do for the Red Sox. We owe them." [Also here.]

Larry Lucchino answered a few questions and then nailed the disappointment so many of us feel: "After that loss I vowed not to watch the World Series or eat solid food until the World Series was over. I have broken both vows. ... I've started to take food orally again. I'm on the road to recovery. Before Game 7, I braced myself for triumph or disaster. But it's become a little more painful as I get a better sense of how unbelievably close we came. I've lived with other disappointments in my life and I'll live with this, too. With a little heartache. The weather outside now feels like the depths of fall, a metaphor for the baseball season -- cold and over for us. ... I admire those who have a little more perspective on the year we had. But if one more person in my family tries to console me, I'm going to strangle them."

Good discussion of Lucky's comments here. ... Kim is having an MRI on right shoulder. ... Baseball card company Donruss is cutting a Babe Ruth game-worn Yankees 1925 home jersey into 2,100 pieces and will insert 1-by-1 inch swatches into card sets through 2006. ... Hey, Chad Fox, you're a loser.

BlogWatch: Go read "Ground Hog Day, 2003" by Paul Hunt of Topsham, Maine ... Gregg Rosenthal is moving on. ... Dewey's House thinks he's recovered too. ... Ed Cossette fears we may not be that close again for awhile. ... Bill Simmons offers a lengthy postscript ["have you ever seen a manager turn an Enrique Wilson at-bat into an advantage for the other team?"], but he's not bitter. Gordon Edes notes that "some fans outside of Yankee Stadium this weekend were devoting their energy to collecting signatures on a giant thank-you card to Red Sox manager Grady Little." It would be a huge sign of disrespect if the Yankees failed to vote Gump a full World Series share. And no, I'm not bitter either.