We all know what happened in 2004 with the World Series ball. Could this really be happening again?

Boston.com reports:

“I gave it to Pap [Jonathan Papelbon],” Varitek said yesterday. “It’s out of my hands.”

Efforts to reach Papelbon – who appeared last night on “The Late Show with David Letterman” – were unsuccessful, but his agent, Sam Levinson, told the Associated Press that the closer has no idea where the ball is.

Sox vice president Charles Steinberg said he knew only what he’d read: that Varitek put the ball in his pocket.

“I guess we’ll have another story line as we head into November,” Steinberg said. “I don’t know where the ball is. I haven’t heard anything about it.”

Another Sox employee said, “I thought Tek had it. I thought he was
going to give it to the team. Why would he give it to Pap?”

Hey, it’s better than talking about A-Rod, right?