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Different Opinions And A Second Start to Baseball 2008, USA Style
2008-04-01 12:09:00
HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY!! It's time to begin the 2008 Red Sox baseball season on THIS continent, albeit on the left coast. The game will begin at 10PM EDT, televised on NESN, almost guaranteeing me two or three innings of enjoyment before my Gold Bond (plug!) king sized set of bedding sends me to ZZZZZZ land. But I must address my yesterday post. As you might have read, I picked the AL East finish to be Toronto, Boston and New York. What I should have said was that those three teams are SO close, at least on paper, and if all the players live up to their stats, the division would be virtually IMPOSSIBLE to call. Right now, it is! But read this, from ESPN dot com..."On ESPN.com, 14 of 18 "experts" pick the Sox to win the division, Peter Gammons predicts Manny Ramírez will win the MVP, and Steve Phillips, the former Mets general manager, selected David Ortiz as his MVP. "Baseball Tonight" regular Tim Kurkjian has the Sox beating the Mets in the World Series, while Sean McAdam, who wr...
More About: Opinions , Style , Start

The Exhibition Games Are Over!
2008-03-31 12:11:00
The Boston Red Sox played their last exhibition game yesterday in LA, losing to the Dodgers by a score of 8-0. Clay Buchholz started strong but faltered in the fourth. He needs to learn, as he himself said. And now the pundits and media members are intent on telling us who will win the American League East. The person who comes closest to mirroring my own feelings is the Boston Herald's Tony Massarotti. He had this to say in the Sunday edition, and then I'll be back with my two cent's worth...*******************************"C all me (Tony Massarotti) crazy, but I?m picking the Toronto Blue Jays to win the American League East this year.Baseball usually comes down to pitching, after all, and here is the truth: The Jays have the deepest staff in the division. What Toronto needs now is to find a way to stay healthy, particularly after consecutive seasons in which injuries have derailed a Jays team that, at times, has pitched and hit with the very best clubs in baseball.Now the Jays j...
More About: Games , Exhibition

Largest Baseball Crowd EVER Sees The Red Sox Stomp The Dodgers
2008-03-30 11:40:00
It was truly a sight to see. The LA Coliseum was packed with a baseball record 115,300 people, the largest crowd ever to see a baseball game. The Red Sox beat the Dodgers by a score of 7-4, but it became that close only near the game's end. This is from the Sunday Boston Herald. I have to admit I was only able to stay up for the first inning or so. I guess I was up too early on Saturday morning. Here you go...?It was really a pretty special night for everybody involved with both teams, both organizations,? he said. ?I don?t think any of us knew what to expect but (the Dodgers) did a great job and the players did a good job focusing on the game and not the close porch. It ended up being a pretty special night.?Catcher Kevin Cash said that batters were complaining about the lighting but otherwise there were no major beefs with the odd configuration.?It wasn?t nearly as bad as I thought it would be,? said Cash, who acknowledged that his three-run homer in the second inning probably wo...
More About: Baseball , Largest , Crowd , Sees

A Surreal LA Night-Where Else?
2008-03-29 10:36:00
Good morning on this cold and dark Saturday. The Boston Red Sox play their first of three exhibition games against the LA Dodgers in quite the setting-the Los Angeles Coliseum. They hope to set a baseball attendance record as more than 115,000 fans are expected. That's three and a half Fenway Parks, more than two Yankee Stadiums filled to their capacities! Here are some interesting facts about the late night (at least here) game, to be broadcast on NESN at 10:00pm EDT..."The Dodgers are coming back to the Coliseum one more time to play the Red Sox in an exhibition game, and officials are hoping for a world-record baseball crowd of 115,000."I remember the Coliseum all too well," said commissioner Bud Selig, who watched the Sox in Japan and plans to be at tonight's game. "My team, the Milwaukee Braves, lost the 1959 pennant there. I remember those Wally Moon shots. There's a lot of history here. We're recreating something from 47, 48 years ago, and it's just amazing."It'll be a ...
More About: Night , Surreal

Beckett Looks AND Feels Great!
2008-03-28 11:59:00
Josh Beckett pitched against the Double A team from New Britain, Connecticut (one town away from me!) called the Rock Cats, and he looked mahvelous, as Billy Crstal used to say. He went 4 innings, shutout ones too, throwing 47 pitches, 35 (!!) for strikes, while allowing one hit, striking out 6 and walking none. After seeing Lester and Daisuke in Japan, the walk total and the ball to strike ratio are refreshingly good ones. Josh "Baseball" Beckett's future plans are now NOT up in the air. This is from the Boston Herald... "Beckett is scheduled to join the team for its three-game series in Toronto from April 4-6. If all goes as planned, Beckett then could make his first start of the season in the series finale, but, as Francona explained, ?That?s not etched in stone.??I told him, ?We?re going to include you in on this conversation,? ? Francona said. ?For me, it?s good because he?s healthy. He?s just trying to get ramped up for the season. Everything?s been great, that?s why there is...
More About: Great

Back In The U.S. Back In The U.S. Back In The U.S. of A.
2008-03-27 10:40:00
Like a time machine morphing eastward, the Boston Red Sox jetted into Los Angeles and landed in the early evening. Because of the time difference, while adding an hour on the clock with each passing thousand miles or so, the Sox gained half a day. I have a few things to say about the two games from the Dome of Tokyo, but first here are a few comments from the Sox owners and players about their trip home. This is from the Boston Globe, with my thanks. The entire article will be linked when you click on the title..."This trip was the best and the worst," said owner John Henry as he waited for baggage. Henry was one of the few who didn't sleep on the 12-hour flight from Tokyo to Los Angeles."I'm looking forward to having my first hamburger," added team chairman Tom Werner."There's still 10 minutes to get a bet down on last night's game," added a member of the traveling party who shall remain nameless." (HaHa! Great line!)Peter here, and that WAS funny! A few of the things that bot...
More About: Back

It's Time For Baseball Again In The Land Of The Rising Sun
2008-03-26 10:37:00
The Boston Red Sox and the Oakland A's are almost ready to battle again in the Tokyo Dome. I'm glad you liked my version of a live blog, but it was more a series of updates until the final exciting innings. At that time it became more of a batter by batter, pitch by pitch summary. I had fun, especially because the Sox pulled it out.Today, hard throwing Rich Harden will take on our very own Jon Lester, unbeaten in his last 15 starts. I will be back with periodic updates when I can. Congratulations go out to Manny Ramirez and Brandon Moss for bashing the hits JUST when we needed them! And today the lineup is the same, including Brandon Moss in right for the hurting JD Drew. Coco will be in center. After his night (err...morning) yesterday, that's a great thing! I'll be back every half inning or so...it would be nice to score first today, and cruise, with no nervous moments. But somehow, I don't think so. Here we go, my friends. I thank you so much for your gleeful responses after...
More About: Baseball , Time , Land , Rising Sun

A Wonderful Email From Japan...I Have To Share It With You
2008-03-25 21:57:00
Before the game today, I left a comment on my friend's blog. He is from Japan , and his blog name is Superbowl. He emailed me back telling me about his day today, the first day of Red Sox Nation joining Red Sox International. I want to share his email with you..Hello !Thanks for your comment on my blog !In fact I went to the Tokyo Dome today with my friend....without ticketsWe each walked and walked around for ticket outside of the Dome.I found a man who had a extra ticket.and he said he's going to sell it original price.I was flying high !but I can't cast aside my friend.I said to the man "please wait.. wait a minutes"but it's game start time and he went into the dome.We continued to look for tickets.There are many people like us around the Dome.Some are English speaking guys (maybe Americans)One of them mistook me a scalper and talk to me.It's getting colder outside and we started on homeward journey overwhelmed.I returned home and turned on the TV, I saw Moss tied with the ho...
More About: Email , Share , Wonderful

AND SO IT BEGINS!
2008-03-25 10:45:00
I'm sitting here on this pre-dawn Tuesday morning listening to the Japanese music echoing throughout the Tokyo Dome as the on the field dancers carrying huge Red Sox symbols march across the spacious field and the band plays "Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue." I, of course, am tuned into NESN's Red Sox pre-game coverage on NESN HD. And it's a beautiful sight indeed. Tickets were hard to come by for the Japanese contingent of Red Sox International, and the pre-game festivities almost have the feeling of a fall football game. But this is baseball, and it's back! The introduction of the two teams is just commencing, with any Sox mentions getting huge ovations. It's now nearing 6am edt, and soon, soon, we WILL have baseball. Here is the just announced Red Sox starting lineup...Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Big Papi Davis Ortiz, Sir Manny Ramirez, Mike Lowell, JD Drew, Jason "Captain" Varitek, Jacoby Ellsbury and Julio Lugo. And warming up in the bullpen, the Boston Red So...

Wonderful Wakes And Dandy Drew
2008-03-24 10:56:00
The Boston Red Sox defeated the Yomiuri Giants 9-2 yesterday, and the stars were Tim Wakefield and JD Drew , who obviously enjoys hitting the Japanese version of a baseball. He mashed a grand slam in the victory over the Giants just one day after he clubbed a three run homer against the Hanshin Tigers. He said this after the game..."I wish those innings counted right there," Drew said, likely only half joking. "I would have a couple home runs and some RBIs."Peter back once again. Tim Wakefield had clearance to go six innings, but Tito Francona opted to take him out after 5 2/3 to allow the relievers to get some mound time. This is also from the Boston Globe..."Giving up two runs on five hits, Wakefield could have gone longer, but Francona wanted to get work for four relievers. And Wakefield termed himself in regular-season form, with some good curveballs, though he said he didn't have his "best stuff." That might be because the past few days were pretty rough, according to the pitch...
More About: Wonderful

A Glaring Weakness?? It Could Be!
2008-03-23 10:44:00
I was thinking last night (yes, sometimes I do that!) about what could be a possibly glaring weakness of the 2008 Boston Red Sox. What weakness? I'll tell you. It's very early on Sunday morning, so I work a little slower. At least my mind does. The weakness is this...who will be our fifth starter and for how long before a change is made. That was EXACTLY the question posed in a Boston Globe discussion group that I spied earlier. Here are the choices they offered, and one (just one example of many) answer that made perfect sense to me. I'll be back with a comment after you read this...a. Tavarezb. Colonc. Buchholzd. Other************************************ ******* ANSWER: (one of many-PN)Posted by Joe Breidey on Mar-22 10:47 AM"Tav for at least a month, without a doubt. I penciled Tav in the 5th spot as soon Schill's injury was revealed. It's no secret Buch's inning total will be held to around 180 at the most. Frankly I'd rather see short AAA outings from Buch to begin th...

MANNY Making Sense!
2008-03-22 21:15:00
His words, not mine. But I like 'em. Here you go. He addresses his eventual home run totals, and SO much more..."Just another milestone that I'm going to accomplish," Ramírez said before the Red Sox' 6-5 exhibition win over the Hanshin Tigers Saturday, of reaching 500 home runs. "But my train doesn't stop there. Six hundred. I want to play because I love the game. If I play six more years, why not? I'm pretty sure I'm going to reach it."If my body feels good, I'm going to keep playing. Why stop? You love the game, why you've got to stop? Age is just a number."Ramírez, who will be 36 in May, has said this spring that he is not just hoping but expecting the Red Sox to pick up both options on his contract, each for a year at $20 million. "They're not stupid," Ramírez said. "They know. They know I can play and I'm ready. That's it. I'm going to get the two options, then I'm going to get a four-year deal. I'm just going to go and get it."Peter here. Sir Manny said it, and I...
More About: Sense

Boston Red Sox 6 Hanshin Tigers 5
2008-03-22 10:40:00
Big Papi David Ortiz hit a mammoth 500 plus foot home run but Clay Buchholz had another too short outing as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Hanshin Tigers by a score of 6-5. Clay "Bee" pitched 3 2/3 innings, throwing 76 pitches, 45 of them for strikes. He said this after his rather rough outing..."Overall, I thought it went pretty well. I left a couple of pitches up over the plate and that hurt," said Buchholz, who pitched a no-hitter last Sept. 1 in his second major league start. "The Tiger hitters stayed back on the ball better than I thought they might."So the Sox finally got to play a game. I worry about this topsy-turvy end of their pre-season, for they are missing out on the normal spring training schedule of games. Until yesterday, that is. They will play another exhibition game later today. All the regular season contests will be on NESN, and ESPN2 (with NESN) will screen the season opener on Tuesday morning. EARLY Tuesday morning. Be there!In other somewhat disturbing news,...
More About: Boston Red Sox

BONZAI! The Japan Schedule...
2008-03-21 10:53:00
While the Boston Red Sox sleep, or at least try to, I'm here on this Good Friday early morning writing to you. I wish every one of you a happy and healthy holiday weekend. Easter already. My goodness! Passover does not begin until April 20th, and the two holidays, which are usually close on the calender, are separated by almost a month. So the matzoh will have to wait. I like mine soaked in whipped eggs, almost as if the eggs were to be scrambled and sizzled. It's called Fried Matzoh, and with a little salt and fresh cracked pepper (some people use maple syrup, but that's too sweet for me), it's delicious. You can tell it's breakfast time here in Connecticut, and I'm a willing participant. I'm also the head cook and primary dishwasher. And I don't mind one bit.The Red Sox play their first two regular season games on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 25th and 26th. Both games commence at 6:05 AM EDT. They'll also play exhibition games against the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Gi...
More About: Japan , Schedule

THEY'RE IN!!
2008-03-20 19:41:00
From the Globe of Boston, direct from the House of the Rising Sun...TOKYO -- "There was no daylight to tell the Red Sox what time it was when they touched down in the Land of the Rising Sun. It was early Friday morning in Japan, late Thursday morning back in Boston, and infinitely timeless in the minds and bodies of the exhausted world champions."Saddle up, partner," said reliever Jonathan Papelbon as he waited in an immigration line after the 20-hour journey from City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, Fla., to the team's massive hotel headquarters near the Tokyo Dome. "This is going to be some road trip."Peter here, and YES! Everyone is safe and sound, albeit a little confused with the time difference. I'm so happy! That's it! Short but, as aways, sweet.

After Further Thought...
2008-03-20 10:00:00
I erred yesterday when I wrote my last post (just below this one) and I want to correct myself. Now. I thought about it a lot last night and I'm up early (it's even early for me!) to correct myself, to say "My bad." Here goes...When I first heard of the threatened travel boycott by the Red Sox players yesterday, I immediately thought of the many Red Sox fans from Japan who were waiting patiently for the team, THEIR team, to cross the Japanese shores, many of them with precious tickets in their hands as the team winged in from America. I thought of all the sad faces of the children who had their hearts set on seeing their heros from the USA, the champions of the world. So I wrote a post describing the Sox players as being selfish, of thinking only of themselves and not their fans. Boy, was I wrong.This was a show of team unity unlike any others in my recent memory. Because Major League Baseball decided NOT to pay the Red Sox coaches the same appearance fee that the players would r...
More About: Thought

TOTAL BULLS**T
2008-03-19 16:48:00
Peter here, and hello on this quickly dark Wednesday. I know you've heard this news by now, but I couldn't believe it...until this, UNTIL THIS.... "The Red Sox trip to Japan has already hit a major snag...During a players-only team meeting at City of Palms Park this morning at 8:30, the players decided unanimously, according to more than one player, that the Sox would not take the field for their scheduled 12:07 p.m. exhibition game against the Blue Jays today unless there was a resolution to MLB?s decision not to extend an appearnce fee of $40,000 to all team coaches making the trip to Japan. All players are receiving the $40,000 appearance fee for the Tokyo trip.According to one player, the players also agreed not to board the Red Sox? flight to Japan if the matter remained unresolved this evening.?Unless they take care of this I don?t think we?re going (to Japan),? said Red Sox pitcher Kyle Snyder [stats]. ?That?s pretty much where we stand. It?s a pretty strong feeling through...
More About: Bulls , Total

Tokyo Bound!
2008-03-19 11:05:00
It seems that Spring Training has passed quickly this year. After the Toronto game in Florida today (Wednesday), the Red Sox will begin their seventeen hour trip to the Far East. I wish them a safe flight...the Sox players will try to stay awake the entire trip to help with their sleep cycles in a completely different time zone. What a difference a twelve (or is it thirteen?) hour time difference can and will make. This is from the Boston Globe..."The last thing we need is us complaining about this," Francona said. "I hope you never hear an excuse about [not playing well] because of this trip."It is not a competitive advantage. Hopefully we'll be going as a very good representative of major league baseball, and we'll win some games."It will not and cannot be a win-at-all-costs mentality, however. For instance, Coco Crisp and Bobby Kielty, who have been battling injuries, learned yesterday they would make the trip, but most likely would see action only in the two exhibition contest...
More About: Tokyo , Bound

Theo On Jacoby...Colon Ineffective Against The Yankees...Starting Pitchers
2008-03-18 10:52:00
Wow, what a full plate today, Tuesday, March 18th. With just about a week to go before the Boston Red Sox head to the Far East, the powers-that-be have announced the early season pitching starters. Daisuke Matsuzaka will make a "home" start in the season opener and Jon Lester will be on the mound for game two. Both games, of course, are against the Oakland A's in Japan. Clay Buchholz and Tim Wakefield will pitch the two exhibition games against Hanshin and Yomiuri Saturday and Sunday. They are also expected to pitch two of the three exhibitions against the Dodgers in Los Angeles March 28-30, with Bartolo Colon working the other. So there you have it, Red Sox Nation and Red Sox International, as well as my Constant Readers. And that's only the beginning.Yesterday, the New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox by a score of 8-3. Colon could not even get out of the first inning, only managing 2/3 of an inning while giving up four runs. Tavarez was almost as bad, pitching the next ...
More About: Pitchers , Theo

Josh Beckett To Stay Stateside ***New Sox Blog Announcement***
2008-03-17 10:53:00
Good Monday morning, the cheeriest day of the week (NOT!). But what can we do? Every seven days, a Monday comes and goes...by now, I'm used to it. Happy St. Patrick's Day, lads and lassies. Notice that my blog has a basic color scheme of green. But it's like that 365 days a year (this year-366). I like to think of it as a Fenway Park type of color. All things Red Sox make for a very happy blog. Ok, OK, back to baseball. Josh Beckett 's back is feeling 100%, and those are sweet words indeed. He will not be going to Japan. A 14 hour plane ride is not condusive to the health of any muscle in the body, especially those that are entwined through and throughout the spinal region. Here's what the man himself, as well as his manager, had to say after his Sunday outing. This is borrowed from the Boston Globe... "Everything's good," said Beckett, who had an icepack on his back. "I did everything I wanted to do."Francona, speaking from Bradenton, Fla., where the Red Sox dropped a 6-3 deci...
More About: Announcement , Blog , Stay

The Red Sox Put On Their Hitting Shoes...
2008-03-16 11:28:00
Saturday afternoon, the Boston Red Sox defeated the Cincinnati Reds by a score of 16-6. With 18 hits, two by the newly returned Julio Lugo, everything was good. Here is a quick recap from mlb dot com..."Julio Lugo had two hits after sitting out the previous 12 days with a back injury, and the Boston Red Sox hit three homers in a 16-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.Lugo led off the first inning with a double and scored on Mike Lowell?s single. He singled in a seven-run fourth, chasing starter Homer Bailey from the game. With the injury behind him, the shortstop is virtually certain to accompany the Red Sox on Wednesday to Tokyo, where they play two exhibition games against Japanese teams before the first two games of the regular season against the Oakland Athletics.?Right now I?m going. I went once and I like it. I like it very much,? said Lugo..."Peter here, and we like it too, Julio. John Lester was good, not great, and Hansack continues to impress. Here is the entire Sox...
More About: Shoes

Baby Matsuzaka Comes Into The World
2008-03-16 10:33:00
Great news on this VERY early Sunday morning. And it was one of my wonderful readers, Red Sox-NJDevils, AKA Brittany, who brought it to my attention with her Saturday comment of my yesterday post. DAISUKE IS A DAD!! Here is the entire Boston Globe press release..."Daisuke Matsuzaka is a father again. Tomoyo, wife of the Red Sox righthander, gave birth to a boy Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m., the team said. The newborn, the couple's second child, weighed 6 pounds 10 ounces. No name for the boy was released.Matsuzaka, who pitched four innings against the Orioles in a spring training game Friday afternoon, has joined his wife in Boston and is expected to return to camp in Fort Myers, Fla., in a couple of days.There was some question as to how the timing of the birth would affect Matsuzaka's availability for the Red Sox' upcoming trip to Japan, where they will open the season against the Oakland A's March 25-26. With the child safely delivered, it appears likely that Matsuzaka will ...
More About: Baby , World , The World

Dice K OK As Sox Beat Birds 7-4..Hello To Sal S.
2008-03-15 10:37:00
Atlanta sustained a direct hit by a suspected tornado last night (Friday). There was an NCAA tournament in progress at the time and people inside the building described the increasing air pressure in great detail. 20 people were hurt, some severely, but no one perished, thank GOD. But it was much calmer in Florida as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles 7-4. Daisuke Matsuzaka was servicably good, giving up a couple runs in his four innings. He had this to say after the contest ended after 6.5 innings...?In terms of the four games that I?ve pitched so far, I feel that things are coming along well,? Matsuzaka said through a translator. ?As I?ve said before, I?m a slow starter. So, in my fifth start, the thing I?ll be working on is focusing on my first inning. From the third inning onward, I felt like I got a lot better,? Matsuzaka said. ?It would be nice to bring that state to the start of the game.?Manny slammed a two run four hundred plus foot home run in the very first...
More About: Birds , Beat , Dice-K , Dice

Colon Impresses--Bye Bye 'Belli
2008-03-14 11:03:00
There was good news and sad news for the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. First, the club released old friend Doug Mirabelli, the personal catcher for Tim Wakefield. Taking over the knuckleball catching duties will be defensive specialist but ultra light hitting Kevin Cash. Dougie's batting average had plummeted from .281 in '04 to .202 last year. Thank you for everything, Dougie. You were there when we needed you, and you will be missed.Bartolo Colon made his Sox pitching debut yesterday and opened some eyes. Wide. Here is what some said after his performance..."...a good two-inning performance in a 3-3 tie with the Tampa Bay Rays proved to be good news for the Red Sox. Colon allowed two hits, one run, a walk, and a home run in two innings. He struck out one of the 10 batters faced."I thought he was way up in the zone," said a scout, "but for his first time out, pretty good. HE'S GOING TO HELP IF HE CONTINUES LIKE THAT."There were a lot of scouts on hand to watch Colon, and the conse...

Our Manny Speaks, With JUST A Touch Of Grey
2008-03-13 13:06:00
Manny, with just a touch of grey in his locks, spoke out. He spoke out well. I want you to read this, from Red Sox MLB dot com. I enjoyed it so very much..."The experts will tell us one of the keys to aging well is to continue learning along the way. Older and wiser, as the saying goes. And, occasionally, we learn something about ourselves along the way, too."I'm older," said Manny Ramirez, who turns 36 on May 30 and has tinges of gray in his flowing braids and scruffs of whiskers attest to his observation."The thing is, be older and be smarter. The older you get, the smarter you get. We don't hope. That's just the way it is." On this morning, he (Manny) was uncharacteristically willing to share his thoughts with a clubhouse visitor.Ramirez said he learned during his offseason workouts at the Athletes' Performance in Arizona -- where his workout partners were teammates Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia -- that he could work smarter without working harder, and get better results ...
More About: Grey , Touch , Manny

Buchholz Doings & All The Bill James Numbers In A 24 Page Special Featu
2008-03-13 10:53:00
Peter here on this still cold Thursday morning. It's March 13th, and the days are slowly but steadily getting warmer, but the nights, the early morning hours especially, remain bone-chillingly cold. But that's the norm for mid-March.Clay Buchholz pitched four innings against the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, his third time pitching against them this spring. And he was flat out tremendous for the first three frames, HITLESS ones, before tiring in the fourth. The general feeling right now is that he will start the season playing for Triple A Pawtucket, not because of the quality of his pitches but to hold down the season-long innings pitched and the wear and tear on his arm. I ask you this...isn't the "wear and tear" on his arm and the total innings pitched the same when pitching for Pawtucket as it would be for the parent club? Simple logic says to me a resounding YES! So I don't get it, especially when I think of Tavarez being our number five guy in the rotation. No, please no! ...
More About: Page , Special , Numbers , James , Bill

Josh Beckett's Back Is A Little Better, But Japan Trip Is Doubtful At Best
2008-03-12 11:14:00
The news out of Florida was a little better about Josh Baseball Beckett's back. He had a horrible day on Monday but Tuesday was an improvement. He is nowhere close to even be able to do any stretching excercises, much less throw the ball. But the Sox are being cautious, as they should be. Said Tito Francona (quote taken from the Boston Globe)..."I don't know that we would want to eliminate it (the trip to Japan ) today because we don't have to," manager Terry Francona said. "The one thing we're not going to do is send him over there to pitch three innings and hurt his back. Just like everything, it depends on how they're doing health-wise. He actually is having a pretty good day today."We just want him to be healthy for the long haul. Last year when he had that avulsion, we didn't run him out there when we probably could have because we didn't think it made sense. So in something like this, we'll do the same thing. We'll use good judgment. It's not always easy to use good j...
More About: Back , Trip

Thank you Gov. Rell...UCONN Women Rule!!
2008-03-11 16:58:00
Why am I thanking the Gov?? I'll tell you. Last night the UCONN Women Huskies played and whipped DePaul to advance to the finals of the Big East Tournament. They are number ONE in the nation, and when it was obvious to her (the Gov.) that most of the state of Connecticut would not be able to watch the game (it was on ESPNU...useless to Comcast subscribers here), she stepped in. The game was broadcast on Connecticut Public Television, which is available to ALL cable Ct. people.....great job JODI! Tonight will be the finals....UCONN vs LOUISVILLE, in Hartford and on ESPN2 and ESPN 2 HD, nationwide at 7 PM. I can't wait! If you want to see a quality basketball team, check it out! What, WOMEN'S basketball? In many ways, they are better than any men's team in our nation. They do everything JUST right. GO UCONN!!!!!!!!!! And please click on this post's title for the full happy joyous story.
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***Josh Beckett's Back Worsens***
2008-03-11 10:57:00
The Boston Red Sox and the refurbished New York Mets played to a 1-1 tie in Florida Monday. Here is the Sox pitching summary.. IP H R ER BB SO HR J Lester 4 2 0 0 1 5 0 H Okajima 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 J Lopez 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 C Hansen 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 C Breslo 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 L Gronkiewicz 1 0 0 0 0 1 0Peter here. Santana started for the Metsies and pitched well, but great job by our Jon Lester (4 innings!) and Hideki Okajima as they round into regular season shape. But not everybody is progressing, and that brings me to the most important Sox story of the day (or the week, or the entire off season!). Josh Beckett awoke on Monday after a Sunday filled with optimism and realized he had had a setback. This is part of what he had to say. This excerpt is from the Boston Globe, and it's a little lengthy, but the subject matter is significantly impo...
More About: Back

Beckett's Back Beautifully Better
2008-03-10 11:14:00
The Boston Red Sox received some much needed great news about their ace pitcher's back. Josh Beckett, the only 20 game winner last season, was moving much better than he was able to on Saturday. His back spasms were significantly less severe. Said his manager, Tito Francona..."He actually looked way better than we anticipated," Francona said. "He was tested thoroughly. I think it has been pretty much determined that it's musculature in nature. His lower back is kind of in a spasm right now. We've got to ease that off and then get him back to doing what he's doing. It's probably a best-case scenario of what could have happened. As soon as this thing settles down, we'll get him back moving in the right direction. I think we're all relieved to see him moving around the way he was. I think HE was even surprised..."Peter here. There is still a chance he won't make the Japan trip, however, but the club is smartly being cautious. The season is a long one and there are far worse thi...
More About: Back