Hall of Famer Peter Gammons stopped by his old stomping grounds yesterday and decided to bang out a Q&A sesh with several lucky readers. Here's a quick recap of everything he hit on that's Sox-related:

• In spite of reports that Lucchino's alleged rift with Theo might cause the President and CEO of the Sox to bolt, Gammons doesn't think Henry and Werner will let him leave.
• Someplayers would prefer to see Masterson starting games, but the overriding sentiment regarding his role with the Sox is that he's more useful out of the bullpen.
• Gammons expects to see lefty Hunter Jones join the 'pen when rosters are expanded on September 1st. He doesn't see Daniel Bard getting the call because the Sox don't want to rush him the way they did Hansen.
• While he stopped short of anointing Lowrie "The Sox' shortstop of the future," Gammons thinks he'll be the starting shortstop for at least the next few seasons. He sees Tampa as a possible landing spot for Lugo after the season if the Sox successfully shop him.
• The problems facing Buchholz (who Gammons likens to a right-handed Cole Hamels when he's on) are both physical (mechanics) and mental (confidence, composure).
• Manny definitely became a distraction toward the end of his Boston tenure, so much so that Gammons compared the situation to that of Barry Bonds in San Francisco.
• On the prospect of Manny playing in pinstripes: "I am told that as long as Brian Cashman is the GM and Hank Steinbrenner is owner, Manny will not be going to the Yankees."
  
• More Manny: "If he can get more than $40m over three years, he will have done well."
• Even more Manny: "It has been denied to me that he called or Scott Boras called or anyone called and asked to stay."
• Gammons thinks the addition of Paul Byrd will add consistency and stability to the back end of the rotation.
• A two-week break for Lowell is probably a good thing as he never asks for time off and he started compensating for his hip issue by taking his lower body out of his swing.
• If Youk's numbers start to take a dive, it'll be because his constant intensity causes him to wear down.
• Gammons sees the Sox making a run at catchers Jarrod Saltalamacchia (TEX) and Mike Napoli (LAA) but admits they may have to settle on a platoon centered around a guy like Brian Schneider (NYM) if Tek's Boston days are over. (Unrelated Tek news: Boston.com reported late last night / early this morning that Boston's backstop has filed for divorce.)
  
• In spite of some troubling inconsistencies, the Sox will be patient with Timlin and allow him to prove to them that he can be as reliable as he's been in the past.
• Finally and most importantly, Gammons believes that if anyone's capable of overcoming the Rays, it's the Red Sox. Nothing like a little hometown support from a Hall of Famer.