Oh, There's News Going On?

We've been slightly obsessed with the impending election, and it turns out there are some interesting baseball-related things of which to take note:

• There are lots of reports describing the Red Sox' interest in Mark Teixeira, a player I think should be the Sox' No. 1 priority this offseason. They don't necessarily agree on how deep the Sox' interest is -- or, for that matter, how deep the Yankees' interest is, which could affect most dramatically the Sox' chances of landing him.
• Kevin Youkilis won the Hank Aaron Award as the league's best hitter. I won't say he didn't deserve it, but Alex Rodriguez and Milton Bradley may have raised their eyebrows when the award was announced.
• Luis Alicea was the only Sox coach let go by Terry Francona -- a surprise to him, and a surprise to me, too. The Sox' infield defense has been solid under his watch, particularly that of the kids -- Dustin Pedroia and Jed Lowrie.
• Lowrie, it turns out, played since May with a fractured wrist, which helps explain his increasingly poor numbers as it went on.  
• From the New York Post, speculation that the Yankees want Manny Ramirez so he can play right field. Although I think this is so much all-natural fertilizer, let me just say: "Please, please, please, please, pleeaaase God let this happen.