I don't typically get excited about sports articles, but this is porbably one of the best I have read. Judging by the comments, lots of other readers also agree.

Tony "Mazz" Massarotti of Boston Globe talks to Red Sox captain and catcher Jason Varitek, who explains the craft of the artilery he catches.

One example: Why John Lester had problems with lefties. Great, great article.

For the most part, Lester operates with five pitches -- a changeup, curveball, and fastball, the latter of which can come in the form of a two-seamer, four-seamer, or cutter, all of which move differently. In Lester's case, because he is lefthanded, the two-seamer breaks in on a lefthanded batter, the cutter breaks in on a righthanded batter, and the four-seamer crosses the plate in what is closest to a straight line (but with the greatest velocity).

Generally speaking, Lester's bread-and-butter pitch is the cutter, a pitch he can throw in the low 90s and with sharp, aggressive movement in on righthanded batters. With that pitch alone, he can make righties extremely defensive. (For hitters, hard inside pitches are often the most uncomfortable.) Lester's problems earlier this season came when he was unable to control the inside of the plate against lefties, which is to say he had trouble throwing, with velocity and movement, to the first base side (or, in his case, arm side) of the plate.