In the season's last week, they need to stay on top of things

Rest? That's what November, December, January, and February are for. Tell the tired and wounded fellas to suck it up and remember the words of the late, great Warren Zevon, who wrote, "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead."

Francona and the people in Red Sox Baseball Ops don't see it that way, of course. That's why they have the jobs they have instead of writing hysterical prose to inflame the fandom.

It's certainly an interesting dilemma. With six to play, the Sox lead the Yankees by two games in the AL East, are a half-game ahead of the AL West champion Angels, and a half-game behind the Central winners from Cleveland.

Locally, much is always made of Boston's position in regard to the Yankees. The Sox have finished behind the Bronx Bombers in each of the last 11 seasons and led the Yanks by 14 1/2 games this year. Some Sox fans want to beat the Yankees more than they want to set up the postseason prospects. Understandable, no?

But there's more to it than bragging rights. There is home-field advantage. If the Red Sox finish tied with the Yankees, Boston becomes the wild card and New York is awarded the division crown on the basis of head-to-head results. This means the Sox potentially would face three road games in a first-round five-game series against Cleveland or Los Angeles. It also would mean the Sox would play four of a possible seven in Yankee Stadium if they made it to the second round against New York.

So beating the Yankees has merit - over and above the emotional factors and the obvious embarrassment that comes with coughing up a 14 1/2-game lead to the Evil Empire.