Afternoon Baseball

Judging from this ESPN.com article, the best closer the Red Sox have ever had and the next Mariano Rivera.
He's actually been a very good move for the Sox, even though he'd probably make a competent starter on a team that needs a couple.
But what the Red Sox have done best is the simple fact of making a definitive move. Bronson Arroyo was constantly shuttled back and forth from the pen to the rotation, as was Wakefield for a while years ago. Those guys had more talent (and in Wakefield's case, pitching acumen) than a guy like say, Ramiro Mendoza, who was a born spot starter. Papelbon, who's young at 25 but not really THAT young, could have undergone the same mess. But now, he's the closer until he proves he doesn't belong, which might not be for a while.

Does it hurt the Yankees? Perhaps. They still have trouble against the hardest throwers, a trait that goes back to the earliest days of the Joe Torre era. But they never did a lot against Keith Foulke, either, so I'd say it's a wash. Where they may lose is in their famed ability to negate a closer with a 7th- or 8th-inning comeback. With Timlin, Foulke, and others, that task becomes much tougher.
It's an evolution you'd have to think the Red Sox picked up from the Angels of the past 7-8 years. They used to have Troy Percival, who confounded the Yanks. But they could handle the other relievers. Since 2002, however, the Halos have added dominant middle relief as well as replaced Percival. The Yankees lose often, and are 3-6 in playoff matchups.
That type of strategy works against almost any team, by the way. But since the Yankees are such a focal point, when it works against the Bombers it gets a little more notice.