The One Where Shank Stirs The Pot

Shank likes it so much, he ought to have his own Food Network show.

NEW YORK — Saturday was eventful at Yankee Stadium.

Carl Crawford, the man with the $142 million contract, was not in Boston’s lineup against CC Sabathia. Crawford said he was embarrassed and ready to play. Sounding defiant and dubious, Bobby Valentine said he was just following orders. Bobby finally seems to be telling us that if he’s going to go down, he’s going down on his own terms.

Terry Francona visited the Sox clubhouse and hung out for a half-hour, swapping stories with some of his former players. One of Francona’s favorites, Jon Lester, pitched better than he has in recent outings, but let a 6-1 game become a 6-4 game when he walked a pair and surrendered three runs in the fifth.