Schill Speaks

Curt Schilling finally responded to the reports of his shoulder injury tonight on his blog 38pitches.com. He had the following to say about his shoulder:

"Please understand that a lot of what has been reported is not true. When the club feels it’s appropriate to further discuss the details of this issue publicly I will elaborate but I need to make it clear that Dr Morgan did NOT diagnose me with a tear of the rotator cuff at any time during this process, nor did he recommend rotator cuff surgery.".....At this time I have agreed to abide with the clubs wishes in hopes that will provide the results they believe it will."

He did not discuss the seriousness of the injury or how long he will be out....it does not sound very promising.

Read more...

Latest on Schilling

The Globe reported Schilling will be out until at least the All-Star break.

AP says Schilling contacted the player's union about his rights: "I have been consulted by Curt and his representative," said Michael Weiner, a lawyer for the players association. "The Red Sox have no basis to take any action against Curt."

No response from Schill on 38pitches.com

Theo was contacted by reporters and wrote back "No Comment"

Red Sox Released the following statement: Curt Schilling was examined by Red Sox doctors in January after he reported feeling right shoulder discomfort. Curt has started a program of rest, rehabilitation and shoulder strengthening in an attempt to return to pitching.

Read more...

End of the Line for Schilling?

I don't want to be the one to ask this question, but it's going to be asked a lot in the coming days.

Is Curt Schilling's career over?

He's 41. Recent media reports list his shoulder injury as "significant" and "requiring surgery." He is coming off a World Series Championship. Schilling had a one-year deal with the Red Sox.

When you add it all up, the reality is that we could have seen Schilling's last game as a Sox starter, and maybe as a major leaguer altogether. That would be tragic.

Read more...

CURT SCHILLING HURT...COULD MISS ENTIRE SEASON!!!

Curt Schilling has a rotator cuff injury that may require surgery, this is causing a problem because the Red Sox and Schilling have not agreed on treatment plan. The Sox may be trying to void his new contract. This is going to develop into a major story and throw a wrench into what had been a successfull off-season. If Schilling is done the Sox still have 5 quality starters assuming Lester and Buchholz are both ready to pitch the entire season. It is not clear when Schilling was injured or why team doctors did not catch it. If the injury had been known earlier it is very likely the Sox would have gone after Santana harder than they did. This is bad news all around.

Read more...

Sox Are Looking To Japan For New Catcher

Jason Varitek is not getting any younger and Doug Mirabelli is in his last season in a Red Sox uniform, so Boston is looking for their catcher of the future. It is believed they are looking at Japanese catcher Hayato Doue. He is 25 years old and was chosen as the league MVP for the second half to 2007, he is also said to be a good defensive catcher with a strong arm. You can find more info on him here.





In other Sox news: Eric Hinske has signed with the Rays and Bendan Donnelly has signed with the Indians.

Read more...

McNamee Has Hard Evidence on Clemens*

Brian McNamee has given the Justice Department vials of HGH, bloodstained gauze and syringes as part of the steroids investigation. McNamee's lawyer said the following on the evidence that was turned over: "“This is evidence the government has that we believe will corroborate Brian in every significant way.” Sorry Roger*.....game over.

Read more...

Does Kielty Signing Signal the Departure of Coco?

When you read the tea leaves of the Kielty signing it can only mean one thing; Coco will be traded soon. As great as it would be to have Coco as a backup outfielder, he also could be a major negative influence on the team if he can not handle being a reserve player. As I have mentioned before, the Red Sox are over the luxury tax mark and would like to unload Coco's salary even if he is only making $4 million a year. This would be a good time for Boston to trade for the catcher of the future and let him play in AAA for half the season and slowly bring him up. There is also a need for a starter for next season when Wake and Schilling retire. Coco's value is not going to get any higher if he is not the starting center fielder so look for him to go before the end of the month.

Read more...

Sox Re-Sign Kielty

The Red Sox have re-signed outfielder Bobby Kielty to a one-year deal according to the Globe's Gordon Edes.

Kielty is a switch hitter who will likely serve as a fifth outfielder getting at-bats against lefties. Kielty will reportedly make $800,000 if he makes the team in spring training.

Kielty hit .218 last season, but had a great postseason, hitting .500.

Read more...

Sox Sign Matt Miller to Minor League Deal

The Red Sox continue to add sign project pitchers in the hope of getting a bargain. Today they signed former Indians reliever Matt Miller. With a history of injuries, Miller has compiled a career record of 6-1 in 106 innings with a 2.72 ERA. He is a good pitcher when healthy but has only pitched in 16 games in the last 2 seasons.

Read more...

Lester is Already at Camp

With an abundance of pitching on the Red Sox, John Lester is not taking any chances. He has arrived in Ft. Myers early to begin throwing and told mlb.com: "I had a full offseason this year to work out and didn't have any [chemotherapy] drugs going through me, I feel good. I just put on a little weight -- I'm about 225 now. Hopefully, I can maintain it and not lose it the first week I'm down here in the sun. Maybe [I'll] be a little stronger for the long haul this year." Lester is not an automatic for a spot in the rotation and will most likely have to compete with Clay Buchholz to become one of the starters. There is still a chance Boston will go with a 6 man rotation keeping both Lester and Buchholz as starters.

Read more...

Things to Look For at Spring Training

Even though the Red Sox are returning most of the players from last year's championship team there will still be a few things to watch for at Spring Training:

-The Coco-Jacoby tryout for the center field starting job

-Kolb, Miceli, and Aardsma competing for a spot in the bullpen

-Lowrie putting a little pressure on Julio Lugo

-Lester and Buchholz....who goes to the pen? or do the Sox go with 6 starters?

-Manny's official arrival date

Read more...

Will Sox Let Beckett Go After 2010?

Peter Gammons cited an undisclosed Red Sox executive as saying " "We'd better enjoy Beckett the next three years, because we won't be able to sign him after his deal is up after 2010." This comes after the precedent set by the huge dollars the Mets gave up in the Johan Santana deal. Who knows what the pitching market will be like in a few years but I think it is too early to say the Red Sox would not be able to afford to re-sign Beckett after giving up the money they did for Dice-K.

Read more...

Sox Need to Extend Tito's Deal

In November I posted some reasons why Francona's contract needs to be extended beyond 2008. With such a quiet off-season it is troubling that this has not happened yet. The Globe reports that it will not take long to work out once each side sits down but that has yet to occur. There are risks involved in long term contracts for coaches (Charlie Weis) but there is also a risk of managers not making the tough choices if they have to worry about their contract and what the execs might think. Tito's contract needs to be worked out before the Sox get to Florida for spring training.

Read more...

This Super Bowl is Not Red Sox -Yankees

As much as the press wants to make the matchup of the New York Giants against the New England Patriots as a continuation of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry it does not fit. The Patriots and Giants do not have a long history of playing against each other in the same division, there is no Babe Ruth, no amazing comebacks, no Munson-Fisk brawls at home plate. There are many old time Giants fans in New England left over from the pre Patriots days when the Giants were the closest team to Boston. There are even may Bostonians on the Giants staff. You will not see any Patriots Suck shirts at the Meadowlands and in Foxborough and you will not hear any 19-90 chants in Foxborough . Enjoy the game no matter what team you root for and understand that after Sunday people in Boston and New York will not care who won the game for long....after all, its almost time for spring training.

Read more...

Old Man Manny

"I want to be like Julio Franco and play until I'm 48."

A recent quote by Manny Ramirez, which would give him 13 more seasons in the Bigs.

Read more...

Sox-Dodgers Exhibition Game Sells Out in 1 Hour

80,000 tickets for the exhibition game between the Red Sox and Dodgers on March 29 were sold in 1 hour this morning. The game is in high demand because it will be played at the L.A. Coliseum and because of the large number of Red Sox fans in southern California. This will be the first game the Red Sox play after their trip to Japan. Two of the games against the A's in Japan will count as regular season games and then Boston will return to the U.S. to play an exhibition game against the Dodgers. The Red Sox will resume their regular season series with Oakland on April 1.

Read more...

Sox Skipper Happy With Rotation, Glad Santana Will be in NL

Terry Francona shared his views about the Santana trade and the Sox rotation with an Associated Press reporter on Friday.

"That ain't bad. I wish every pitcher would go to the National League. I can't lie about it. You don't want to face him five times."

"I'm happy with our roster. Our youth is exciting to me. To come through our organization, they know how we feel about things. Every kid that comes through, they know how to play and they know how to act, and that's important. They integrate themselves in the clubhouse and at work and there's a lot of people in player development that need a pat on the back for that."

When asked to discuss the Yankees rotation, Francona said, "I don't want to rate the Yankees. I've got a tough enough time worrying about us. I don't know. I hope every team we play struggles."

Read more...

Santana Deal Done

The Mets and Johan Santana have reached an agreement after a 2 hour extension to the 72 hour deadline. Santana will become the highest paid pitcher in baseball after signing a 6 year $137 million deal with an option for a 7th season.

Read more...

Goodbye Hinske, Hello Casey

The Red Sox signed veteran first baseman Sean Casey to a one year $800,000 deal today. Casey is the left handed hitter and bench corner infielder the Sox have been looking for. This means Hinske will not be returning and Trot Nixon will not be coming back. Casey has often been called the nicest player in baseball so he should fit in well in the clubhouse and be well liked by fans. Casey hit .296 with 4 HR's and 54 RBI's in 143 games with Detroit last season.

Read more...

Curt Schilling and McCain Involved in $ Controversey

Everyone knows Curt Schilling is an outspoken Republican who often talks about politics on his blog. Last month Schilling went to New Hampshire and campaigned for McCain helping him win the primary in the northern part of Red Sox Nation. A controversy has developed because McCain donated $4,600 to Schilling's SHADE Foundation with campaign funds shortly after the appearence. There is nothing wrong with McCain giving money to Schilling's charity, the problem with the donation is that it came from campaing contributions not from McCain's personal bank account. This is legal but makes it look like Schilling was paid for his performance. Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington had this to say:"In general it is inappropriate for members to be giving away campaign dollars for charities. It's not why people made their contributions, if John McCain personally believed in Curt Schilling's charity it is one thing. It is another to ask people to give money to his candidacy and have it go to Curt Schilling's charity. The only way that makes sense is that he is paying for the endorsement, although they are apparently long time friends."

Read more...

Red Sox in L.A.

Tickets for the Red Sox-Dodgers exhibition game at the L.A. Coliseum go on sale this Saturday at 10 am Pacific. They are expecting to sell all 92,000 seats very quickly for this one. The left field wall of the Coliseum is only 192 feet from home but there will be a 40 foot high screen that will be in play. You can purchase tickets on the Dodger's website or by calling 866- DODGERS.

Read more...