Saturday, September 30, 2006
Grim News on Martínez: Rotator-Cuff Surgery Looms - The New York Times
Grim News on Martínez: Rotator-Cuff Surgery Looms - The New York Times
The Times says Pedro won't throw until June...Could be back after the All-Star Break
The Times says Pedro won't throw until June...Could be back after the All-Star Break
Rotator Cuff Surgery will keep Pedro Martinez out 8 months
Looks like the Sox brass gauged this one right. Best wishes to Petey.
Looks like the Sox brass gauged this one right. Best wishes to Petey.
Did We Give Up When The Bears Bombed Keith Foulke??
John W. Henry: Bears???...
Theo: Let it go...He's Rolling
Tito:Forget the Bears; It's a Cubs life for me in 2007
"I want to be out there, and I want to pitch in 85 ballgames a year, 100 innings. If I can get myself in shape to do that, then I'll come back. If I'm sitting around my house drinking beer, I'll take it to the house. I'll stay there." -Bluto Foulke
Red Sox Hub Bub:
Uhmm, Foulkey, you might want to leave the beer out of your training regimen.
Retirement on Foulke's mind
Johnny from BK says: "Now that's a whopper of a statement...You want fries with that 84 mph fastball, Foulkey?"
"My contract status, right now, I could care less about it. I might retire. I don't know. It's a big option. If I can't have fun playing this game, if I don't have the motivation to prepare, you know, as far as strength and training and all that. I'm not going to be a middle bullpen, 5 ERA guy. Either I can come back and be a dominant pitcher, or I'll take it to the house." -Foulkey from Fenway
Johnny from BK says: "Now that's a whopper of a statement...You want fries with that 84 mph fastball, Foulkey?"
"My contract status, right now, I could care less about it. I might retire. I don't know. It's a big option. If I can't have fun playing this game, if I don't have the motivation to prepare, you know, as far as strength and training and all that. I'm not going to be a middle bullpen, 5 ERA guy. Either I can come back and be a dominant pitcher, or I'll take it to the house." -Foulkey from Fenway
TROT TROT TO BOSTON IN 2007???
Red Sox Hub Bub:
Nixon belongs in a Red Sox uniform. He needs to be reasonable, and Henry/Werner/Lucchino need to stop playing lowball games with Sox mainstays.
"I don't think the door is already closed (from the Sox' point of view), but I don't know how far it's open. That's something the organization and my agent will talk about...The contract situation is out of my hands and in God's hands. That's the only way I look at it. I may have a lot of options. I may not have a lot." -Trot on staying in Boston
Nixon on Thursday was named along with his wife Kathryn as winners of the Ernie Tavilla Award, given for a demonstration of outstanding character and leadership on the field and in the community by Athletes in Action New England, an interdenominational Christian sports ministry.
This has not been Nixon's best year, he acknowledges. He was hitting close to .300 for most of the year before a right biceps strain knocked him out of action from July 30 until Sept. 4. Since then, his average has been steadily declining. He was at .270 before last night's game.
'My confidence hasn't been all there, and it's not the uncertainty of next year. I just haven't been feeling good at the plate since I came back,' said Nixon. 'Anyone who doesn't have a contract wants to go out and play well enough to force someone to give you a (new) contract by being healthy and having a good season. But that will take care of itself.'
For now, Nixon will just be trying to get through the last two games.
Nixon, the Sox' first-round pick (seventh overall) in 1993 after a standout high school career in Wilmington, N.C., isn't ready to call it quits in Boston just yet. He will prepare himself to help the team win these last two games because, above all, he has been a team-oriented player in Boston ever since manager Jimy Williams stuck with him during a rough start to his Boston career." -PROJO
Red Sox Hub Bub:
Nixon belongs in a Red Sox uniform. He needs to be reasonable, and Henry/Werner/Lucchino need to stop playing lowball games with Sox mainstays.
"I don't think the door is already closed (from the Sox' point of view), but I don't know how far it's open. That's something the organization and my agent will talk about...The contract situation is out of my hands and in God's hands. That's the only way I look at it. I may have a lot of options. I may not have a lot." -Trot on staying in Boston
Nixon on Thursday was named along with his wife Kathryn as winners of the Ernie Tavilla Award, given for a demonstration of outstanding character and leadership on the field and in the community by Athletes in Action New England, an interdenominational Christian sports ministry.
This has not been Nixon's best year, he acknowledges. He was hitting close to .300 for most of the year before a right biceps strain knocked him out of action from July 30 until Sept. 4. Since then, his average has been steadily declining. He was at .270 before last night's game.
'My confidence hasn't been all there, and it's not the uncertainty of next year. I just haven't been feeling good at the plate since I came back,' said Nixon. 'Anyone who doesn't have a contract wants to go out and play well enough to force someone to give you a (new) contract by being healthy and having a good season. But that will take care of itself.'
For now, Nixon will just be trying to get through the last two games.
Nixon, the Sox' first-round pick (seventh overall) in 1993 after a standout high school career in Wilmington, N.C., isn't ready to call it quits in Boston just yet. He will prepare himself to help the team win these last two games because, above all, he has been a team-oriented player in Boston ever since manager Jimy Williams stuck with him during a rough start to his Boston career." -PROJO
YO-YO JULIAN
Tavarez entertains with flakiness on and off the field, his latest a crazy dive from the mound into 2nd base in an attempt to tag out Brian Roberts.
Tavarez entertains with flakiness on and off the field, his latest a crazy dive from the mound into 2nd base in an attempt to tag out Brian Roberts.
“I got them (at second base), I got them at first base and third base, too, and in the winter leagues, too,” said Tavarez about his unorthodox and unassisted pickoff sprint. “That’s why they call me ‘Yo-Yo.’ They think I’m crazy. Wild guy. I’m wild out there. I have to wait five, six days to pitch, I have so much energy out there, I’m too focused on the game. A lot of guys, it works for them to laugh and smile - I don’t like that. Everyone’s different. I can’t smile out there. I can’t smile, I’m too serious about my game.”
Tavarez said he had been trying to get the attention of Dustin Pedroia but the rookie shortstop was too busy chatting up Roberts. That irked Tavarez, who had created a jam and wanted his shortstop’s help to get out of it.
“Since I couldn’t get Pedroia’s attention I thought about doing it myself,” Tavarez said.
Tavarez said he had been trying to get the attention of Dustin Pedroia but the rookie shortstop was too busy chatting up Roberts. That irked Tavarez, who had created a jam and wanted his shortstop’s help to get out of it.
“Since I couldn’t get Pedroia’s attention I thought about doing it myself,” Tavarez said.
Red Sox Nation Speaks:
At least somebody still gives a crap about winning...Manny.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Dr. Bill Morgan and his staff were dumped for Tom Gill and his New Red Sox Medical Group, rumored to be in the name of (SURPRISE!) profits. Result: A record number of player injuries, mismanagement, and misdiagnosis of key players, with the lowlight being a big whiff on Matt Clement's shredded shoulder. How do you miss 3 separate, major injuries in one shoulder?
In other news, the Sox continue their trend of mistreatment of longtime employees. This time, it is a key off the field contributor, as they decide to treat longtime radio broadcaster Jerry Trupiano "Waay Bad".
Off the field, longtime radio broadcaster Jerry Trupiano was seething over a report in the Boston Herald that said he has been told he will not be back next season, with former Sox public relations boss Glenn Geffner replacing him. “A bald-faced, (expletive) lie,” Trupiano said, adding that he has not heard one way or another if he will be return. Trupiano was also angry with part of the Herald story that had him saying, “Way back…way back…foul ball.” “I’ll put my accuracy up against anybody in baseball’s,” Trupiano said.
In other news, the Sox continue their trend of mistreatment of longtime employees. This time, it is a key off the field contributor, as they decide to treat longtime radio broadcaster Jerry Trupiano "Waay Bad".
Off the field, longtime radio broadcaster Jerry Trupiano was seething over a report in the Boston Herald that said he has been told he will not be back next season, with former Sox public relations boss Glenn Geffner replacing him. “A bald-faced, (expletive) lie,” Trupiano said, adding that he has not heard one way or another if he will be return. Trupiano was also angry with part of the Herald story that had him saying, “Way back…way back…foul ball.” “I’ll put my accuracy up against anybody in baseball’s,” Trupiano said.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Patriots Hit Rookie Paydirt
ACTION JACKSON AND LORD MARONEY
Doug "Jimmy" Mirabelli
``These guys have seen me around here a lot. To be taken so literally on some occasions was unfortunate. I don't apologize for wanting to come back here to Boston. I do apologize for the fact that if he has that strong of an opinion of Doug Mirabelli over a month or two months of time, I didn't do my job as a player or a person. I wouldn't want that opinion of me by anybody. That's not the perception of Doug Mirabelli that I would want anywhere."
``These guys have seen me around here a lot. To be taken so literally on some occasions was unfortunate. I don't apologize for wanting to come back here to Boston. I do apologize for the fact that if he has that strong of an opinion of Doug Mirabelli over a month or two months of time, I didn't do my job as a player or a person. I wouldn't want that opinion of me by anybody. That's not the perception of Doug Mirabelli that I would want anywhere."
Red Sox Nation Speaks:
'Cause Jimmy's pretty sweet on you. Jimmy's down! Jimmy holds grudges Kramer!
'Cause Jimmy's pretty sweet on you. Jimmy's down! Jimmy holds grudges Kramer!
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
HERE'S THE ARTICLE THAT EVERYONE'S TAULKIN' ABOUT:
SI.com - Magazine - A-Rod Lightning Rod In New York
Yankees Call Out Alex Rodriguez
"I can't help that I'm a bright person. I know that's not a great quote to give, but I can't pretend to play dumb and stupid." -AROD, August 2006
"(ARod's)displaying "a false confidence,"
-New York first baseman Jason Giambalco
Before Giambi went to Torre, he had scolded Rodriguez after a 13-5 win in Boston on Aug. 19. Irked that Rodriguez left four runners on base in the first three innings against a shaky Josh Beckett, Giambi thought A-Rod needed to be challenged. "We're all rooting for you and we're behind you 100 percent," Giambi recalls telling Rodriguez, "but you've got to get the big hit."
"What do you mean?" was Rodriguez's response, according to Giambi. "I've had five hits in Boston."
"You f------ call those hits?" "You had two f------ dinkers to rightfield and a ball that bounced over the third baseman! Look at how many pitches you missed!
"When you hit three, four or five [in the order], you have to get the big hits, especially if they're going to walk Bobby [Abreu] and me. I'll help you out until you get going. I'll look to drive in runs when they pitch around me, go after that 3-and-1 pitch that might be a ball. But if they're going to walk Bobby and me, you're going to have to be the guy." -Giambi to AROD
"One day last month, wading into that current, I asked Rodriguez whom he has relied on most during his difficult summer. He first mentioned Cynthia. "
But to whom has he turned on this Yankees team?
He looked down and thought in silence. Ten seconds passed.
Finally he said, 'Rob Thomson.' Thomson is the team's special-assignment coach who throws batting practice.
'And Mo. Mariano is the best. Those three.'
And that was it."
Yankees Calling Out A-Rod
Giambi To Torre: "Stop Coddling A-Rod."
Red Sox Nation Speaks:
Unless Alex Rodriguez produces in the 2006 postseason, this will be his last season in Yankee pinstripes. The Angels are looking to make a splash, as owner Artie Moreno is tired of waiting for young players like McPherson and Kotchman to succeed. Moreno also loves having hispanic players play for the Angels, an area with a large hispanic community. A-Rod makes sense for the Angels, and could give the Yankees top young talent in return. This is a fit.
Giambi To Torre: "Stop Coddling A-Rod."
Red Sox Nation Speaks:
Unless Alex Rodriguez produces in the 2006 postseason, this will be his last season in Yankee pinstripes. The Angels are looking to make a splash, as owner Artie Moreno is tired of waiting for young players like McPherson and Kotchman to succeed. Moreno also loves having hispanic players play for the Angels, an area with a large hispanic community. A-Rod makes sense for the Angels, and could give the Yankees top young talent in return. This is a fit.
Meet Your Newest Celtic
No A.I., but we do have a Pittsnogle
At home in West Virginia:
"'I grew up in a trailer park. I used to shoot all day on a gravel court. You couldn't dribble because the rocks made the ball go the opposite way. So I would just shoot, you know, all day. We'd go out at 9 in the morning and come back at 9 at night. We never stopped, except to ride bikes and get drinks...My family is from West Virginia from way back. I love my state and I love representing my state on my team. That's all I can really say about that."
Tiger Woods and Doug Mirabelli Fight Back Against Character assassination
"This is my character that he's attacking. I don't think anybody deserves that . . . I find it very bad business as a GM to come public with details of a private conversation we had behind closed doors."-Doug Mirabelli defends himself against Kevin Towers's barrage
SAN DIEGO: BOSTON'S INBRED RELATIVE
The Headline: "Ryder Cup Filth for Dublin?"
"Most American golfers are married to women who cannot keep their clothes on in public. Is it too much to ask that they leave them at home for the Ryder Cup?" The article continues, "Consider the evidence. Tiger Woods' wife can be found in a variety of sweaty poses on porn sites." "Ryder Cup Filth for Dublin?"
-The Dubliner Magazine
"My wife, yes, she has been a model prior, and she did do some bikini photos. But to link her to porn Web sites and such is unacceptable, and I do not accept that at all. Neither does our team....I know the media can be a little bit difficult at times, but when you ... it's hard to be very diplomatic about this when you have so much emotion involved, when my wife is involved in this. As I said, I don't want that to deter from the beauty of this event."
-Tiger Woods comes to the defense of Wife Ellen Nordegren.
http://www.kplctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5435419&nav=0nqx
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
DOUG "Cadillac" MIRABELLI
The Pacer shaped backup catcher likes it his way
"“He called (Dave) Roberts (when Mirabelli was traded) and said, 'I guess I'm getting called back to the big leagues,' ” Towers said before Monday's game with the Dodgers. “I'm glad I didn't hear that. . . . I don't miss him. These guys don't miss him.” "
“He was (upset) when we got Piazza,” Towers said. “ . . . He was (upset) because Rob Bowen was hitting in a group with Piazza and it should have been him. . . .
“The Sunday before the trade, Mirabelli was calling my phone like 5-6 in the morning. I finally get to (Petco) Park . . . I get into the clubhouse and he says, 'KT, can we have some private time?' ”
When they were alone, Towers said, Mirabelli told him the Padres might want to start Bowen behind the plate against the Dodgers that day, “because I'm not focused on the game.”
“I said, 'What?' ” Towers recalled. “He said, 'My boys, the (Red) Sox have been calling me. I got to tell you, it's all I watch on TV; all I think about is the Red Sox. Do me a favor and you guys a favor (and make a deal).”
Bard was then leading the major leagues with 10 passed balls, unable to come to grips with Wakefield's knuckleball. The Red Sox were desperate to bring Mirabelli back to Boston. But the last thing Towers wanted to do was accommodate a player whom he considered a pain.
“I said, 'You're (expletive) catching today,' ” Towers said. “ 'Theo (Epstein) ain't paying you. I'm paying you.' . . . Then in the worst way, I wanted to trade him to the Yankees. In the worst way.”
Red Sox Nation Says:
If this were the other way around, Sox fans would be up in arms, and this guy would be enemy #1. Instead, we got a guy who either couldn't resist the Chalupa at 3am, or radically changed his "regimen" before the 2006 season. A fat, slow, overpaid backup catcher who can't hit his weight (He is well beyond 183 pounds)is our Red Sox reality, while Bard and Cla Meredith thrive in San Diego. Sorry to be so harsh, but better to face reality than to live in denial. I wish the arrogant Mirabelli (rumor has it that it was his primadonna attitude that got him out of Boston in the first place) would take this advice to heart. What gives you the right, Douggie?
The Pacer shaped backup catcher likes it his way
"“He called (Dave) Roberts (when Mirabelli was traded) and said, 'I guess I'm getting called back to the big leagues,' ” Towers said before Monday's game with the Dodgers. “I'm glad I didn't hear that. . . . I don't miss him. These guys don't miss him.” "
“He was (upset) when we got Piazza,” Towers said. “ . . . He was (upset) because Rob Bowen was hitting in a group with Piazza and it should have been him. . . .
“The Sunday before the trade, Mirabelli was calling my phone like 5-6 in the morning. I finally get to (Petco) Park . . . I get into the clubhouse and he says, 'KT, can we have some private time?' ”
When they were alone, Towers said, Mirabelli told him the Padres might want to start Bowen behind the plate against the Dodgers that day, “because I'm not focused on the game.”
“I said, 'What?' ” Towers recalled. “He said, 'My boys, the (Red) Sox have been calling me. I got to tell you, it's all I watch on TV; all I think about is the Red Sox. Do me a favor and you guys a favor (and make a deal).”
Bard was then leading the major leagues with 10 passed balls, unable to come to grips with Wakefield's knuckleball. The Red Sox were desperate to bring Mirabelli back to Boston. But the last thing Towers wanted to do was accommodate a player whom he considered a pain.
“I said, 'You're (expletive) catching today,' ” Towers said. “ 'Theo (Epstein) ain't paying you. I'm paying you.' . . . Then in the worst way, I wanted to trade him to the Yankees. In the worst way.”
Red Sox Nation Says:
If this were the other way around, Sox fans would be up in arms, and this guy would be enemy #1. Instead, we got a guy who either couldn't resist the Chalupa at 3am, or radically changed his "regimen" before the 2006 season. A fat, slow, overpaid backup catcher who can't hit his weight (He is well beyond 183 pounds)is our Red Sox reality, while Bard and Cla Meredith thrive in San Diego. Sorry to be so harsh, but better to face reality than to live in denial. I wish the arrogant Mirabelli (rumor has it that it was his primadonna attitude that got him out of Boston in the first place) would take this advice to heart. What gives you the right, Douggie?
WHILE PAPI AND CO. PLAY (OR SIT ON THER MANNY'S), EX-SOX PLAY MEANINGFUL BASEBALL...NOMAR...LOWE...ROBERTS...CLA...SELE...BELLHORN...BARD...
"Los Angeles hit four consecutive homers in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, and Nomar Garciaparra's two-run homer in the 10th lifted the Dodgers to an 11-10 victory over the San Diego Padres on Monday night and back into first place in the NL West. "
"Los Angeles hit four consecutive homers in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, and Nomar Garciaparra's two-run homer in the 10th lifted the Dodgers to an 11-10 victory over the San Diego Padres on Monday night and back into first place in the NL West. "
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
OH, NO-NO THEO...
RED SOX NATION SPEAKS:
Hindsight is 20/20, but in this case Theo and the Red Sox must feel a blinding pain from getting burned, at least by the early returns of this deal. While Josh Beckett has set records for giving up homeruns this season, Hanley Ramirez has already become one of the best shortstops in baseball, hitting around .290 with 13 homers and 44 stolen bases. The sky is the limit. Sanchez, considered the B player in the deal, has continued where he left off in the Sox minor league system, and looks like a top of the rotation starter. These two guys make the minimum, while Beckett will make over $10 million a year for the next 3 years. Ouch.
THEO GETS A DIRTY SANCHEZ AS ACE ANIBAL
THROWS A NO-HITTER
WHY CAN'T WE GET PLAYERS LIKE THIS?!!!:
"Florida acquired Sanchez last November in the trade that sent Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to the Boston Red Sox. He went 3-6 this season for Double-A Carolina before joining the Marlins, and on June 25 became the second starting pitcher in 10 seasons to win his major-league debut as a visitor at Yankee Stadium."
"Florida acquired Sanchez last November in the trade that sent Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to the Boston Red Sox. He went 3-6 this season for Double-A Carolina before joining the Marlins, and on June 25 became the second starting pitcher in 10 seasons to win his major-league debut as a visitor at Yankee Stadium."
RED SOX NATION SPEAKS:
Hindsight is 20/20, but in this case Theo and the Red Sox must feel a blinding pain from getting burned, at least by the early returns of this deal. While Josh Beckett has set records for giving up homeruns this season, Hanley Ramirez has already become one of the best shortstops in baseball, hitting around .290 with 13 homers and 44 stolen bases. The sky is the limit. Sanchez, considered the B player in the deal, has continued where he left off in the Sox minor league system, and looks like a top of the rotation starter. These two guys make the minimum, while Beckett will make over $10 million a year for the next 3 years. Ouch.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
BostonHerald.com - Boston Red Sox: The Ex-files: Red Sox refugees
BostonHerald.com - Boston Red Sox: The Ex-files: Red Sox refugees
The Los Angeles Dodgers were headed toward the 13th inning when Derek Lowe got up from his seat in the dugout on Tuesday night. The pitcher then strolled up to manager Grady Little and told him he was available to pitch if the Dodgers needed him.
Little took Lowe up on the offer.
Not much later, Lowe had given the Dodgers three full innings en route to his 12th win of the season as Los Angeles posted a critical 6-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds in the nip-and-tuck National League playoff race.
Unusual? Hardly. Blessed with a resilient arm during his career with the Red Sox, Lowe both started and relieved during his career in Boston. He did both during the club’s 2003 American League Division Series against the Oakland A’s, starting Game 3 and closing Game 5 as the Sox overcame a 2-0 series deficit to advance to the AL Championship Series against the New York Yankees.
This type of guts and performance is what the Sox have been lacking all season, and why they were never really serious contenders in 2006. This organization needs to get back to looking at the total player; This team overvalues statistics and severely underrates the mental aspect of the sport, the major aspect that separates champions from chumps. Matt Clement versus Derek Lowe. ARod versus Derek Jeter. Case closed.strong>
The Los Angeles Dodgers were headed toward the 13th inning when Derek Lowe got up from his seat in the dugout on Tuesday night. The pitcher then strolled up to manager Grady Little and told him he was available to pitch if the Dodgers needed him.
Little took Lowe up on the offer.
Not much later, Lowe had given the Dodgers three full innings en route to his 12th win of the season as Los Angeles posted a critical 6-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds in the nip-and-tuck National League playoff race.
Unusual? Hardly. Blessed with a resilient arm during his career with the Red Sox, Lowe both started and relieved during his career in Boston. He did both during the club’s 2003 American League Division Series against the Oakland A’s, starting Game 3 and closing Game 5 as the Sox overcame a 2-0 series deficit to advance to the AL Championship Series against the New York Yankees.
This type of guts and performance is what the Sox have been lacking all season, and why they were never really serious contenders in 2006. This organization needs to get back to looking at the total player; This team overvalues statistics and severely underrates the mental aspect of the sport, the major aspect that separates champions from chumps. Matt Clement versus Derek Lowe. ARod versus Derek Jeter. Case closed.strong>
