Quote to note

"So many things can happen and [manager Jim Leyland] wanted to make sure [Yankees closer Mariano Rivera] pitched. Everything Leyland does, there's a reason, and the word 'respect' will always be attached to it. Nobody would be more prepared for [Rivera] in that game than him. I knew that going in. And he cares so much about the respect of baseball." --Francona, on Leyland using Rivera in the eighth inning of Tuesday's All-Star Game