Red Sox Magic Number - 56

The Red Sox magic number keeps going down and now it stands at 56.

Right now I associate the number 56 and the Red Sox with pitcher Craig Hansen. I have to wonder if Hansen will be with the Red Sox much longer though. He was a fireballing closer out of St. John's University but since he was represented by Scott Boras instead of being a top pick - he dropped down to the Red Sox at the 26th pick in the first round. Now it seems (according to Peter Gammons) that Scott Boras and his "experts" fooled around with the kid's delivery and somehow managed to take the fire out of the fireballer's delivery. I would not be surprised if Hansen was trade bait for the trade deadline.

Overall, though, when a New England sports fan thinks of the number 56 - probably the name that jumps to mind is Andre Tippett - the great linebacker for the New England Patriots. Tippett played 12 seasons for the Pats and if it wasn't for the fact that he played at the same time as Lawrence Taylor - Tippett would have been a shoe-in for the Football Hall of Fame.