Steve Buckley says what everyone knows:

If Ellsbury can handle the pressure of the World Series as though it's the Little League back home in Madras, Ore., he's not likely to get unglued by what the big leagues have to offer in April.

But the Red Sox, perhaps to their credit, have to play the respect-for-the-game game. In the interest of decorum, and in fairness to Crisp, they are treating their center field job as though it's Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton fighting for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Crisp's value at this point is almost all defensive. He gives the Red Sox the flexibility to improve the defense late in games by removing Manny. It even makes Manny's requests for days off easier to manage. Given that Manny isn't exactly young anymore, the Red Sox may ask him to take days off to help him get through the season without wearing down.