Yankeetorial: The Redsocks are counting on two of our fiascos to save their season

Last winter, the Redsocks pitched Jonathan Papelbon into the fiery sea of Philly, planning to replace him with a CostCo free agent. They signed Andrew Bailey and quickly congratulated themselves for being smarter than everyone else.

Last week, Bailey hurt his thumb. (Gooshing beer tabs?) He's been thumbed out until July. Boston would be dead, but for two Yankee botchjobs from two years ago, when we quickly congratulated ourselves for being smarter than everyone else.

1. Alfredo Aceves. Ditching this guy remains one of Cashman's greatest all-time flubs. (Keep in mind that Cash has grabbed his share of gems - from Aaron Small to Bartolo and Freddy. Some work, some don't. This didn't.) From the gitgo, it hurt to see Aceves in Boston. Now, he's their all-purpose wall spackle. He might close, he might start the home opener. Ugh. If I could go back in time, I would kidnap Cashman and browbeat him into keeping Aceves and saving his marriage. Damn, I would save the poor guy's life. Moreover, we would keep Aceves.

2. Mark Melancon. Just writing the name hurts. The deal that made Lance Berkman a Yankee is going to haunt me until the day I die. When I'm 85, Lance Berkman will probably be lying next to me in the home - or he'll be some manufactured character within my delirium - and he'll blather on and on about the big year he had in St. Louis after tanking for us. By then, he'll probably have won Boston a World Series. Why not? Everything about that deal hurts. And now the Redsocks have Melancon. Watch him become a great closer. Watch them then trade him like Heathcliff Slocumb for the next Varitek and Lowe. I swear, that move by Cashman was a plot to make my life miserable. And he succeeded. (Although, to be fair, he did pick up Bartolo and Freddy. Some work, some don't. This didn't.)