The Yankees have signed Sidney Ponson to a minor league contract. It seems the Yankees are always trying to outdo the Sox and the signing of the portly pitcher may make 'el Gordo' fall a spot in the fattest A.L. East pitcher category.
The Coco to Chicago trade rumors are heating up again. From today's Chicago Tribune:
General manager Jim Hendry sent special assistant Ken Kravec to scout Boston this week in Cincinnati and Philadelphia. The Cubs still are interested in Red Sox center fielder Coco Crisp,and now may be willing to include Rich Hill in a multiplayer package.
With Moss able to be a backup and Coco becoming more attractive to the Cubs, the Sox may pull the trigger on this soon. I know the Sox can find value in players and you can never have too much pitching especially since Schilling now looks done for the season. Read more...Hill was plagued by control problems all through spring training. He broke camp with the Cubs but was sent to Iowa on May 3 after lasting only two-thirds of an inning the previous night at St. Louis. An 11-game winner last year, Hill figured prominently in the Cubs' plans for this year. Now, however, he looks to be a long way from returning.
The whiny articles keep coming and this one is from a city that will be the visitors, they don't even get to complain about the annoying Sox fans taking over their city. This is from today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch entitled "Why I'm Sick of Boston"
"Im a big guy, so it pains me to say this, but I'm tired of seeing those chunky, pink-faced white guys wearing Celtics throwbacks, straight out of that stupid House of Pain video ("Jump Around") shouting "We're No. 1" at TV cameras with distorted faces....Hey, Sully — I didn't see you kick the field goal. That was Vinatieri. So quit rolling around in the end zone. Yo, Murph yeah, you in the Bird jersey, bum-rushing the floor at the Garden on Tuesday night when the Celtics destroyed the Lakers to win the NBA championship. Yeah, you. That's right. You aren't even Eddie Bird (Larry's brother), so get off the basketball court and let the Celtics players celebrate....They should rename Boston's "Big Dig" and call it "Dig Me."I guess Bernie Miklasz doesn't think teams should have fans since they don't actually make plays on the field, and if teams do have fans they must act like Cardinals fans and simply exit the stadium in a orderly fashion if they win a World Series or they risk offending Joe Buck. What a
tool. Here's Bernie's picture, he looks like a guy who got beat up by jocks in high school. Bernie says one of the things he likes about Boston is Dunkin' Donuts, maybe its time he lay off the Bavarian Cremes and mix in a salad.
Read more...
A fan at the Nationals game was told by a stadium employee that he had to put his shirt back on to avoid being ejected for indecent exposure. He wrote a letter to the editor of the Washington Post complaining about the incident, especially since he spent $50 for tickets, and $7.50 for a beer and the heat index was over 100. All that to watch some bad baseball. I have to say I am not really in favor of some fat sweaty shirtless guy in front of me but you would think a team like the Nats would be excited to have anyone watch.
Portfolio.com reports today on food service violations at MLB ball parks.
Angel Stadium led the list with 732 violations, including a major vermin violation that closed down one of it's food stands last year, and a cockroach infestation as well. McAfee Coliseum in Oakland checked in with 493 violations, while ATnT Park in San Francisco reported 88 violations. Our friends in the Bronx? 45 violations at Yankee Stadium including evidence of mice and rats in at least 2 of the stadium's food areas. Fenway Park was not included in the survey.
Let's hope they get rid of ALL the rats at the new Yankee Stadium.
And if any Sox fans are headed to Anaheim~ pack a lunch.
Sox Win 7-4 BOX SCORE
No, this is not 2004 all over again, nor deja vu, but when was the last time two former Red Sox teammates squared off against each other for other teams?
No Manny, no Youk for today's game.
Ellsbury lf
Pedroia 2b
Drew rf
Lowell 3b
Casey 1b
Varitek c
Crisp cf
Lugo ss
Masterson p
Jon Lester pitched a gem tonight in the city of brotherly love going seven shutout innings before turning it over to the pen. Okajima '08 looked like Okajima '07 and Papelbon shut the door to preserve the shutout. The speedy Sox stole 6 bases including one by Sean Casey! J.D. Drew came back to earth and went 0-4 but Coco is suddenly the new Big Papi. The Celtics crushed the Lakers for their 17th Championship, too bad Red couldn't be there to see it. All in all a good night...except for my softball team getting our first loss in a game where the other teams batter and our pitcher had words and both teams met in the middle for some pushing and shoving. Nothing like a near fight in slow pitch softball. For some fun check out Rob Bradford of the Herald running the Rocky steps in Philly below.
Sox Win 3-0 BOX SCORE
Bartolo Colon is headed to the 15 day disabled list with a bad back. He hurt his back on a swing in last night's game, the big gut can put a strain on the back when it gets in motion. Relief pitcher Chris Smith was called up from Pawtucket to take Colon's spot on the roster but no word about the rotation yet. Dice-K could take Colon's next starting spot, Buchholz could also be called up at a later date to take the start.
Here's the video of Colon's disaster at the plate:
Youk is out another game after experiencing back spasms yesterday. Ellsbury sits with Coco in center and Lugo gets a rare chance to lead-off.
SS-Lugo
2B-Pedroia
RF-Drew
LF-Ramirez
3B-Lowell
C-Varitek
1B-Casey
CF-Crisp
SP-Lester
Chien-Ming Wang gets hurt running the bases last night and whose fault is it? According to Hank Steinbrenner it is the NL's fault because they have the pitchers bat and run the bases. Here's another Hankism:
"Truthfully, the NL owners should be concerned with it, even with the practice their pitchers get doing it. You don't need to lose your best pitcher. The pitcher has enough work to do. It's something Bud (Selig) needs to address and he needs to address it soon. Don't give me that traditionalist crap. We go to these NL cities, draw great crowds and we end up losing one of our best pitchers. I'm not happy."
"AL pitchers are at the most risk because we don't run the bases," Mussina said Sunday. "When you get four or five at-bats, at most, and get on base a couple times, you never know. We run in a straight line most of the time."
Check out this bizarre story of Pete Rose and A-Rod's text message relationship. They even sent texts on why A-Rod should have gone to the Sox last year.
The Good: Big Papi's cast came off today and he can begin the rehab of his wrist. Dice-K had a good rehab start tonight going 5 innings giving up 3 hits and 2 runs. Dustin Pedroia is deffinetly out of the slump after going 3-4 tonight with a home run.
The Bad: Bartolo Colon had a stiff back forcing him to leave tonight' game early, this could be a nagging injury for the remainder of the season and limit any trade value he might have. Curt Schilling has been given some time off after a few bad bullpen sessions. It is unclear if this is a temporary setback or a sign that he will not return this season.
The Ugly: Mike Timlin gave up 4 hits, 2 walks and 4 earned runs in 2/3 of an inning to the Phillies tonight.
Sox Lose 8-2 BOX SCORE
Bartolo Colon left tonight's game in the 4th with a back injury. He was not pitching well in the game and gave up 3 runs in the first including a lead-off homer. In case you thought that Schill would be ready to step in think again. Look at this tidbit from GoldBlog:
Curt Schilling is in a holding pattern at the moment. He had a couple of poor bullpen outings last week and the team wants to slow things down a bit. Schilling met with Terry Francona this afternoon, but no word yet on when he will start throwing again.
A few weeks ago I wrote about how journalists in each city the Sox are travelling to write virtually the same negative article about Red Sox Nation. It happened in Kansas City, it happened in Oakland, and now it is happening in Philly. Bob Ford or the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote about the horrors of the invading Red Sox fans in a tired rehash of how annoying we all are. Here's a quick glimpse at some of the article:
"Catch 'em, tag 'em, put 'em on the Northeast Limited to Back Bay Station if they like it there so much. The rest of us are tired of having them around....There's nothing cuddly or cute about a team with a $133 million payroll. You can't be an underdog if you spend like the Kennedys. If the Red Sox...Oh, I know. The fans sing songs together and have other adorable rituals, and tend to overlook small things like the fact that Manny Ramirez is one of the most selfish, self-indulgent players in the game. Ah, c'mahn. He's a Sawk."To whine about the Sox payroll is a bit much when your own team has a payroll of $108 million. I am sorry that Bob lives in a city that cares more about a football team that can't win a big game than they do about their baseball team. But it is not all bad press, occasionally Red Sox Nation gets some good press.
This is the story of how I met Zachary, a 4 year old Red Sox fan.
Red Sox Nation is now soliciting for applications for ‘governors’ from each state of New England.
“RSN Governors will help promote the growth of Red Sox Nation within their home state while also providing Regular Rob and the Boston Red Sox with feedback on fan related issues throughout the entire season.”
Red Sox Nation spreads from coast to coast and overseas, as well. Why limit ‘governorship’ to the 6 states of New England when there are faithful fans 3000 miles away who could promote the growth of RSN and fulfill the mission of RSN in every locale where there are substantial numbers of Sox fans?
C’mon Jerry & Rob! Open this up to all 50 states! I’m in the 40 year club when it comes to fandom. I just happen to live that aforementioned 3k miles away. If RSN does open governorship to the rest of the nation, I for one may have a hat available for that ring.
Sox Win 9-0 BOX SCORE
Manny is out again to rest the hamstring but should pinch hit late. Lugo and Tek are back in there.
Ellsbury-LF
Pedroia-2B
Drew-RF
Lowell-3B
Youkilis-1B
Varitek-C
Crisp-CF
Lugo-SS
Beckett-SP
Tim Wakefield's knuckleball worked well against the Reds this afternoon. He went 7 innings giving up 2 runs (both homers) before turning it over to the pen. Okajima struggled once again facing 3 batters and allowing 2 of them to reach before he was pulled. Delcarmen came in and let one of Oki's runners score before getting out of the 8th with a 1 run Sox lead. Papelbon came in for the 9th and got two quick ground outs before giving up a 2-strike home run to tie the game. Youk put the Sox back on top in the 10th with a home run and Coco quickly added another one. Hansen came in for the 10th and got two quick outs before giving up a hit up the middle. The hit seemed to bother Hansen and he allowed the winning run to come to the plate before getting the third out. Hansen earned his first save of the season and Papelbon got the win.
Sox Win 6-4 BOX SCORE
Manny is out with the sore hamstring.
Ellsbury lf
Pedroia 2b
Drew rf
Lowell 3b
Youkilis 1b
Crisp cf
Lugo ss
Cash c
Wakefield p
UPDATE: Lugo was a late scratch with an illness, Cora is now in at short.
Joe DiMaggio was from the Bay Area and lived in Martinez before he moved to San Francisco. 
He was given a boat by Yankee fans on "Joe DiMaggio Day" in 1949. He took Marilyn Monroe on the boat after their honeymoon and used it to fish occasionally. DiMaggio donated the "Joltin' Joe" to the city of Martinez where it was put on display after a ceremony in 1994. Since that point it has deteriorated in the weather and now has been put in a warehouse because nobody is willing to pay to restore it. The future of the Joltin Joe is uncertain and it may just go to the scrap heap. If Hank Steinbrenner really thinks this is Yankee Nation why hasn't anyone stepped up to to restore the boat?
Jonathan Papelbon gained some big media coverage with his comments earlier in the week about the Ray's incident saying the issue was not done. This did not please Terry Francona who said, "We don't need to go there" to the press before the game. He also said he was going to have a chat with Paps. Yesterday Papelbon decided to throw some more gas on the fire by bringing the subject up to reporters again. From today's Herald:
"I just never have been the one to sit there and say, ‘Golly gee, you guys got us. We’re not going to do nothing,’ and walk away from it. That’s just not how I do it. It might be because of the way I grew up, but if my brother hit me I was punching him back. Like Coco said, it’s tit for tat, I feel like when Bartlett went hard on him, and dropped the knee when he went headfirst, and (Coco) went in hard again, that’s tit for tat, done deal. And then they wanted to carry it over. They wanted to play this little game, then they wanted to throw cheap shots. That’s why I said it wasn’t done. It’s pretty plain and simple to me. The way I feel about the issue ain’t going to change."
Trot Nixon is back in the bigs and this time with the NY Mets. He was acquired in a cash deal and for a player to be named later. The Mets need outfielders after a rash of recent injuries.
New league, same result. The Red Sox struggles on the road continued tonight with a loss to the 
Sox Lose 3-1 BOX SCORE
Instant replay for home run calls may be headed to a stadium near you this season. MLB and the Players Association want to get a deal on this before the playoff start. A new system could be in place to make sure it will work for the post-season. As I have said before I am totally against this but it looks like it is coming.
Read more...NBC Washington Bureau Chief and moderater of Meet the Press Tim Russert has died after collapsing today. Russert moderated the debate for President of Red Sox Nation last September. The Red Sox released the following statement about his passing.
On behalf of John Henry, Tom Werner, and the entire Boston Red Sox organization, I express our deep sadness and profound grief at the news of the passing of Tim Russert. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family including his wife, Maureen, and his son, Luke, who always made him so proud. Tim was a passionate fan of baseball, a great friend of the Red Sox, and a dear and beloved personal friend to many of us. He left us far, far too soon, but he leaves a gigantic legacy of professionalism, journalistic excellence, authenticity and friendship that will inspire us and generations to follow us. Red Sox Nation mourns the loss of Tim Russert more than we can express.
Read more...Tek is still out and Casey is in for Youk.
Ellsbury-CF
Pedroia-2B
Drew-RF
Ramirez-LF
Lowell-3B
Casey-1B
Lugo-SS
Cash-C
Masterson-SP
It is raining in Cincy and the forecast is for more rain so it may be difficult to get tonight's game in.
Since 1997 the use of bats made out of maple has grown in MLB, currently 60% of players use them. Maple is harder and denser than the traditional ash used in bat making, so players think they get more out the bat although some studies have shown that there is no significant benefit from using maple over ash. The problem with maple bats has been the way they break; they sometimes shatter sending dangerous shards around the field or into the stands. A few people have been injured recently and now there is a call to ban the bats outright. There will be a meeting on June 24 between MLB and the MLBPA to discuss the future of maple bats. Any removal from the game will have to be collectively bargained. The owner of Sam Bats told the NY Times today the problem is caused by bat makers who do not let the maple dry out enough before the bat is made, in other words maple is not to blame, inferior bat makers are.
This is going to be an interesting decision by the players on what to do with the bats. Some players fear for their safety and want the bats banned while others believe their hitting would fall off without them. Hal Bodley of MLB.com doesn't think banning them is the answer.
On a side note, I am in a wood bat softball league where I have been using a maple bats this season. My bat has not shattered but it has not exactly caused me to be Big Papi at the plate either.
Kevin Youkilis will back to where he started in baseball when the Sox play the Reds today. He grew up in Cincy and went to Sycamore High School and the University of Cincinnati. Youk grew up a big fan of the Reds, he told the Globe what tonight's experience in going to be like:
“It’ll be a cool thing to play against the Reds, but it’ll be a little different in a new park“I grew up (going to) Riverfront Stadium. But it’s cool to go back with all my family and friends there. It’ll be a mob scene of people. It’s going to be fun to play in front of them.”
Read more...
The Red Sox continued to do well at home with another win against the Orioles tonight. Jon Lester pitched very well going 7 innings giving up 2 runs and 7 hits. The bullpen (Lopez and Timlin) pitched a perfect 8th and 9th to preserve the victory. Mike Lowell was the offensive hero of the game with a grand slam in the 5th.(video below) Youk and red hot J.D. Drew also went yard. Lugo had his 13th error of the game but did go 2-4 with a RBI. The Red Sox head to Cincy to resume inter-league play tomorrow. Justin Masterson will be on the mound and will have his first Major League at bat, which I am guessing is not going to be pretty.
Sox Win 9-2 BOX SCORE
Tek is still sick so Cash will be behind the dish
| Jacoby Ellsbury, LF | |
| Dustin Pedroia, 2B | |
| J.D. Drew, RF | |
| Manny Ramirez, DH | |
| Mike Lowell, 3B | |
| Kevin Youkilis, 1B | |
| Coco Crisp, CF | |
| Julio Lugo, C | |
| Kevin Cash, C |
Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez struck out in a key at bat last night as the Yankees lost again and failed to get to 2 games over .500. From Blogging the Bombers:
"A commenter asked how many times this season Alex Rodriguez has struck out with runners in scoring position in the wake of A-Rod watching a called third strike to end the third inning with runners on first and third. Here’s the answer – that was No. 14, tops on the team and one more than Bobby Abreu, who happened to whiff just before Rodriguez did."
Spaulding: "I want a hamburger...no, a cheeseburger...I want a hot dog...I want a milkshake"
Judge Smails: "You'll get nothing and like it!"
Judge Smails may have been on to something, at least when it comes to the food at Fenway Park. Health inspectors found numerous violations at Fenway on April 1st and again on Opening
Day, April 8th.
Among the most disturbing violations: rodent droppings under service tables. Violations were bad enough that a court considered shutting down food service at Fenway while the issue is resolved.
Red Sox officials learned about the violations yesterday.
Jacoby Ellsbury, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
J.D. Drew, RF
Manny Ramirez, DH
Mike Lowell, 3B
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Jason Varitek, C
Coco Crisp, CF
Julio Lugo, SS
Bartolo 'el Gordo' Colon, SP
David Ortiz became an American citizen today at a ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Library. Ortiz immigrated from the Dominican Republic.
Curt Schilling has had no problems with throwing off of the mound and has been throwing harder. He will face hitters next week. From the looks of it Schilling could be making some rehab starts by the end of the month and could join the rotation after the All-Star Break...if all goes as planned. In the interim Schilling has been stirring up some heat in the media with his recent bashing of Kobe and the Lakers on 38pitches.com.
Read more...After a less than stellar performance from Josh Beckett, Hideki Okajima came to try to hold the lead. Like most of the times he faced the O's this year, it did not turn out well. He gave up 3 earned runs in 1/3 of an inning with 3 hits and 2 walks. The ProJo wonders if Okajima was a one hit (season) wonder. Rooster has a great writeup of the game over at The Rational Red Sox Fan.
Sox Lose 10-6 BOX SCORE
Tek talks about Okajima's outing:
Josh Beckett can't get his fastball or curve over for strikes and has thrown 75 pitches and has just started the 4th inning. Sox are losing 4-3.
Read more...Ellsbury lf
Pedroia 2b
Drew rf
Ramirez dh
Lowell 3b
Youkilis 1b
Varitek c
Crisp cf
Cora ss
Beckett p
Read more...The Sox will start at 6:05 tonight and Thursday so fans will be about to watch the C's in games 3 and 4 of the NBA finals beginning at 9 Eastern. (6 Pacific) Tonight's game is on NESN.
Read more...
The NY Daily News is reporting that Roger Clemens* kept a supply of Viagra in his Yankee locker to help his performance....on the field.
Bobby Kielty was making good progress on his road back to the majors. He was starting to get his hitting back with the PawSox and may have been called up when Coco gets suspended. Those chances ended yesterday when Kielty went on the minor league DL for the second time this season with an injured left oblique.
Clay Buchholz was gone after 3 innings today with the PawSox after giving up 6 hits, 2 walks and 2 earned runs. This is his third start since he was sent down and two of them have been bad. With the way Masterson pitched yesterday, Buchholz may have dropped on the depth chart for the Sox.
Read more...
Curt Schilling checks in over at 38pitches.com and covers most of the recent events. He highlights one of the great things about having Manny Ramirez on your team:
No one on this team is as affected by David’s absence as Manny. The reason that’s perfect for us is that Manny NEVER allows things like that to change his approach. He’s done what he’s done, the way he’s done it, for that very reason. Manny hits and Manny approaches his AB’s in his way, every day.
Jon Lester is not happy with his suspension and let his feelings known about Bob Watson the VP of MLB that handed out the penalties last week. Lester told the Herald the following:
“(Watson) said, ‘You hit Crawford with a curveball and guys are hitting guys with curveballs now.’ It’s stupid,” Lester said. “They have no idea. (Watson) didn’t watch the video. He doesn’t have a feel for the game. He doesn’t understand baseball....It really is B.S. that I got suspended and Shields, the guy that hit somebody, only gets one more game than me,” Lester said. “I didn’t throw any punches, and didn’t hit anybody on purpose. You have to talk to them and find out why.”
"I've never seen anything like that before in my life," he said. "Middle of the game you've got the fashion police. This is incredible. He made me show him [the jersey]. I was sort of in a hurry because I thought Jeter was going to steal third. I was trying to do my job...I didn't ask to appeal. I think the cursing I did to the guy going up the tunnel was probably appeal enough."
Watson, the former GM of the Yankees, is also responsible for the new "Francona Rule."
Red Sox players were on hand for game two of the NBA Finals tonight to cheer on the Celtics. David Ortiz, Jon Lester, and Curt Schilling were all in attendance. Jon Lester was honored as a "Hero Among Us" by the Celtics before the game. Just like in years past the Lakers whined about the conditions of the Garden; now they are saying it is too cold.
Justin Masterson does it again. He has made 4 spot starts for the Red Sox and has won 3 of them. (He would have 4 wins if the bullpen didn't blow one) He went 6 inning allowing just 3 hits and one run. J.D. Drew continues to power the offense and he drove in both runs today including the winning run with a homer in the 6th. The bullpen went 3 scoreless no hit innings to preserve the win. The "Beat LA" chants could be heard at the Fens throughout the game and the scoreboard also had some encouraging words for the C's. The Sox have a day off tomorrow, Beckett starts on Tuesday against the Orioles.
Sox Win 2-1 BOX SCORE
1. Julio Lugo, SS
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. J.D. Drew, RF
4. Manny Ramirez, DH
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
7. Jason Varitek, C
8. Coco Crisp, CF
9. Brandon Moss, LF
Justin Masterson, SP
Read more...
Yesterday Dice-K began a throwing program on flat ground for the first time since he was injured. From Red Sox.com:
Everything went well," Francona said. "He's officially onto his throwing. Flat ground; it'll be flat ground for a while. This should come along pretty quickly."
Kevin Youkilis went 237 games at first without an error before making one tonight in the 8th inning. Youk has sent a major league record with his spectacular defense at first.
I got to witness the continueation of a streak by Maicer Izturis who hit
a lead off home run in his last two games. He took the first pitch from Smith over the left field wall in Oakland tonight.
The Red Sox played very well today behind the third good start in a row by Wake and good hitting all around. Speaking of good hitting, who is that playing right field? J.D. is a totally different player from last year and cheers have replaced the boos. Drew has really stepped up his game this season, especially since Ortiz has been out.
Sox Win 11-3 BOX SCORE
Who needs Ellsbury, Ortiz, Pedroia, or Lowell when your bench can hit the ball just fine. Manny got the Sox started with a two run homer and the team tacked on 4 more and now lead the Mariners 6-2 in the 8th. With Dick Stockton announcing the game it feels like the old day on TV38. I'm headed to Oakland to see the A's-Angels game tonight, stay cool all of you suffering in the East Coast heatwave, its in the upper 70's out here.
Read more...Manny is back, Pedroia and Lowell have a day off, Ellsbury is still out. Looks like a split squad lineup from spring training.
Coco Crisp CF
Julio Lugo SS
JD Drew RF
Manny Ramirez DH
Sean Casey 1B
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Brandon Moss LF
Kevin Cash C
Alex Cora 2B
Hank Steinbrenner shows his wit once again with this quote to the NY Daily News,
"Johnny is a player, and as players, they all need to let the brain trust do the thinking and do the talking."The players just need to play and to worry about winning games."
Wasn't Damon worried about winning games when he made his comments about Joba? Hank, when did you become part of a "Brain Trust?" If it has not been created yet I need to develop a book of Hankisms, I could then sell a calender...looks like easy money.
Sox Lose 8-0 BOX SCORE
MLB suspended Coco Crisp for 7 games, Jon Lester for 5 games, and Sean Casey for 3 games after yesterday's altercation with the Rays. It is ridiculous for Lester to get 5 games from hitting a batter with a slider. I'm sure the suspension will be appealed.
Read more...Finally the real reason for the dugout fight from Extra Bases:
"Manny had raised objections to Youkilis throwing equipment around in the dugout after flying deep to center in the fourth inning, and advised him to "cut that (expletive) out. Youkilis apparently didn't take kindly to the remark, said something, and Manny swiped at him."
| Manny and Jacoby are out so Casey will DH and Moss will play left. Coco Crisp, CF | |
| Dustin Pedroia, 2B | |
| J.D. Drew, RF | |
| Mike Lowell, 3B | |
| Kevin Youkilis, 1B | |
| Sean Casey, DH | |
| Jason Varitek, C | |
| Brandon Moss, LF | |
| Julio Lugo, SS Bartolo 'el Gordo' Colon SP |
The Boston Red Sox are going for their fourteenth straight victory at Fenway tonight while the Mariners are coming to town with a five game losing streak. Bartolo Colon will pitch against Felix Hernandez in tonight's series opener. Hernandez usually pitches well against the Sox and one-hit them last year in Dice-K's Fenway debut. Tito will have his hands full in filling out the lineup card with the injuries to Ellsbury, Ortiz, and Ramirez. If Boston can continue the winning ways and sweep the series look for Mariner's manager John McLaren to be canned. Lineups coming soon.
Read more...After all of the craziness of last night's game, we have some updates.
Injuries: Manny's hamstring injury does not look too serious and he may not miss a game, Ellsbury hurt his wrist but had a negative X-Ray, he could miss a few games.
The Sox called up Brandon Moss and sent Carter back down as they now need outfielders.
Fight Night: Coco could be in for a 10 game suspesion and with Ellsbury hurt it might be just the news Bobby Kielty was looking for.
Nobody on the Sox is opening up about the Manny-Youk altercation. There is speculation Youk was not pleased that Manny took his time joining the earlier brawl and was even beat to the field by newcomer "speed demon" Bartolo Colon. Tito and others said it was no big deal and the team will be fine.
Sweep: The Red Sox did sweep the Rays and now have a game and a half lead in the AL East. The hapless Mariners are coming to the Fens tonight. Lost in all of the fighting was how well the Sox played last night; while Lester did give up 8 hits, he did not walk anyone and struck out 5 in 6 and 1/3. The bullpen continued to be solid and the Sox offense provided some timely hits including a homer by Manny in the first as part of his 5 RBI night.
Sox Win 7-1 BOX SCORE
Post-game press conference has injury updates, fight updates, and more.
In case you missed it, the C's won 98-88.
Tempers flared in the Sox dugout between Manny and Youk, NESN showed the two of them mixing it up after the fourth inning. Both players had to be held back by teammates, no word yet on what caused the incident but I will post more as soon as it becomes available.
Manny left the game in the 7th with a hamstring injury. Ellsbury left earlier with a wrist injury but his X-rays were negative. Paul Pierce also left the game...oh wait, that was the Celtics game, too much going on tonight.
Coco Crisp was hit in the back by the second pitch he faced. He took a few steps towards first before he charged the mound and benches cleared. Coco ducked a punch by Shields but then was taken down by the catcher. Several Rays got some good shots in on Coco before the pile was broken up. Coco, Shields and Gomes were ejected. Watch below:
UPDATE: Coco talks to reporters about the brawl after the game. Shield's take on the fight. Gomes' 2 cents.
Coco is in the lineup so we'll see if there is any retribution. Casey is in for Youk at first.
Jacoby Ellsbury LF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
J.D. Drew RF
Manny Ramirez DH
Mike Lowell 3B
Sean Casey 1B
Jason Varitek C
Coco Crisp CF
Julio Lugo SS
Jon Lester SP
In the battle of the Idiot vs. the Dumbass, Johnny Damon has called out Hank's choice is putting Joba in the starting rotation. Damon told the NY Daily News, "I just felt like our bullpen was our strength. I think it still could be, but when you move a guy like that, everyone's trying to find a role. Everyone's trying to replace a guy who was possibly the best in that role. I remember the teams the Yankees won (championships) with, if they were winning after five innings, it was pretty much game over. We kind of felt that way this year. If we were winning after six, we had (Kyle) Farnsworth in the seventh, Joba in the eighth, and Mariano in the ninth - we thought it was game over. Now, instead, we're trying to find out who's best suited for that eighth-inning role."
Read more...Sometimes there is nothing better than a coach losing his shit in a press conference and last night we had another one. Watch below:
I would not put this up there Lee Elia's rant, or Bobby Knight's halftime speech but it is good for a laugh.
Coco Crisp injured his thumb when he slid into second headfirst in the 6th and shortstop Jason Bartlett put his knee down to block the bag. Crisp said the following about the play, “That’s a shady play there. That’s how someone can get hurt. He’s not a bad dude, but that’s not something you do as an infielder. You can break someone’s thumb that way. I told him that when I got up.” Coco tried to get revenge in the 8th when he reached base with a walk. Here's Coco's take on what happened, “I went in hard to send a message. If I wanted to hurt someone, I wouldn’t have even slid, I would have jump-kicked his (butt). I was going in there to send a message. I did what I said I was going to do, unfortunately it was to the wrong person. I don’t know why they didn’t have Bartlett covering the bag. If it was me, I would have been there to take my own licking.”
This does not seem to be over so I would be expecting a bean ball tomorrow. The Sox and Rays have had their share of fisticuffs in the past and we may see more soon. Don't forget about the time change for tomorrow's game from 7:05 to 6:05 Eastern so you can watch the C's-Lakers.
Sox Win 5-1 Box Score
Drew is batting third for the first time this season.
LF- Ellsbury
2B- Pedroia
RF- Drew
DH- Ramirez
3B- Lowell
1B- Youkilis
C- Varitek
CF- Crisp
SS- Lugo
SP- Beckett
The baseball card company has screwed up a card based on Jason Varitek and Foulke's celebration in 2004 with images of Obama and Clinton. The card that went to print got the picture wrong with the pitcher (Obama) jumping and not the catcher (Clinton) like in the famous picture.
The drunk kid does make a good move on security during last night's game before he is eventually caught.
Dice-K will begin throwing again this weekend. John Farrell told the ProJo the following, “This weekend is our target date... It’s just the early stage. He would play catch from 60-to90 feet, then progress to long tossing before he gets up on the mound again.”
Curt Schilling will also throw off of a mound for the first time on June 6th.
UPDATE: Schilling threw 25 pitches off the mound today, he was upset he only threw 22 for strikes. Looks like things are progressing nicely.
The Red Sox proved there is no place like home when they beat the Rays last night. Masterson filled in for Dice-K and while he did not pitch great, he did get his second win. He went 6 innings giving up 4 earned runs with 5 K's. The Sox offense had 7 hits including a home run by Drew and Lowell. Coco had a big double in the 6th and the Sox pushed 4 runs across in the inning. The bullpen was excellent, giving up just 1 hit in three innings. Boston is now just half a game behind the Rays in the A.L. East.
Sox Win 7-4 BOX SCORE
| Jacoby Ellsbury, LF | |
| Dustin Pedroia, 2B | |
| Kevin Youkilis, 1B | |
| Manny Ramirez, DH | |
| Mike Lowell, 3B | |
| J.D. Drew, RF | |
| Jason Varitek, C | |
| Coco Crisp, CF | |
| Julio Lugo, SS Justin Masterson, SP |
With the injury to Ortiz several sites (Boston Sports Blog and MVN) are speculating that the Red Sox might sign Bonds to fill the hole. It is not going to happens for the following reasons:
1. John Henry does not want alienate a huge part of Red Sox Nation by signing a player that is despised in Boston.
2. Ortiz could only be out for 1 month, Bonds has not played this season and would need at least a month to get in playing shape (and find a steroid supplier in Boston)
3. The Sox have plenty of young players that they could bring up that are power hitters (Moss, Van Every, Carter)
So while it makes a good headline and something to debate about, it is not going to happen.
In a blog on FoxSports.com, Con Chapman pokes fun at Manny's lack of hustle. The spoof has Manny promising a sick kid he will run out a ground ball.
Read more...
NESN has announced that the SportsDesk anchor Hazel Mae will be leaving at the end of June. She did not disclose where she will be headed next but did say it was, "the right time for me to make this difficult decision to leave."
Red Sox Manager Terry Francona spoke with NESN about Ortiz's injury and Okajima's bad night.
Watch it:
Tim Wakefield went 7 strong innings giving up 2 runs before Okajima came in for the 8th with a 1 run lead. He gave up 4 hits and for earned runs and didn't even make it out of the inning. The Sox could not rally to get back in it and lost the last game of the roadtrip. Manny did smack #502 and the Sox did manage 10 hits but the really story of the night was the loss of Ortiz.
Sox Lose 6-3 BOX SCORE
Today's MRI revealed extensor carpi ulnaris (a partially torn sheath of his left wrist) David Ortiz will wear a cast for two weeks and need at least two more for rehab. The silver lining is that Papi's knee will get some time off and he should be good for the second half. Look for Tito to juggle the lineup nightly with Manny and Casey and DHing.
Read more...The Red Sox have announced that Justin Masterson will be the starting pitcher when the team begins their homestand at Fenway. The Red Sox are using Masterson as a spot starter until Dice-k comes off of the DL. This is further indication that Buchholz will be with the PawSox for a while.
Read more...The Red Sox are still evaluating David Ortiz's wrist injury after his MRI this afternoon to determine the course of action. By reading the tea leaves from the report I would bet that Ortiz will be going on the 15-day DL. If they are still trying to decide , it can be seen as good news in that Ortiz should recover quickly. If he does go on the DL look for the Sox to call up Brandon Moss who has been red hot lately and hit 3 homers on Saturday.
Read more...Ortiz is still out, Manny will DH and Jacoby will play left.
Ellsbury-LF
Lugo-SS
Youkilis-1B
Ramirez-DH
Lowell-3B
Drew-RF
Crisp-CF
Cora-2B
Cash-C
Wakefield-SP
You may remember the story of MLB suing an online fantasy baseball company saying it did not have the right to use player's names for its product without a license. MLB would not offer the small company a license because they wanted to control the small group of companies that would use the players names in order to get more profit. MLB lost the lawsuit and then appealed to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals where they lost again. Two losses were not enough for MLB so they appealed the case to the Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court announced today they would not take on the case and let the lower court ruling stand.
After coming off of the DL Clay Buchholz was optioned to the PawSox. For a pitcher on any other team it would mean a few starts in AAA and some retuning. With the Red Sox it is not that simple, when Buchholz was sent down Colon stepped up in a big way, when you throw Curt Schilling into the mix things get murkier. Buchholz is not going to rejoin the rotation any time soon; in reality, he has lost his spot with the Red Sox until someone gets hurt. Even with an injury to one of the starters he does not necessarily have his job back if Schilling is ready to go. There is also Justin Masterson who will enter into the equation at some point. The Red Sox don't want to put Buchholz in the bullpen so he will continue with the PawSox for the foreseeable future. If he continues to make starts like he did this weekend, he may be there for a long time.
Read more...
Bartolo Colon won in for the third time in as many starts for the Red Sox. He gave up 4 runs in 7 innings but he had plenty of run support. The Sox went yard three times including back to back homers from Manny and Lowell. Boston will try for the 4 game sweep tomorrow night in their last game of the road trip. Ortiz did not play and will undergo an MRI back in Boston to further diagnose the wrist injury.
Sox Win 9-4 BOX SCORE
Ortiz is out with the wrist injury so Manny will DH and Bailey will play left.
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Manny Ramirez, DH
Mike Lowell, 3B
Jason Varitek, C
J.D. Drew, RF
Jeff Bailey, LF
Julio Lugo, SS
Bartolo 'el Gordo' Colon, SP
Pedroia and Ortiz hit back to back home runs in the third and Manny hit #500 later in the game. Lester pitched well enough to keep the Sox in the game and get it to the bullpen. The pen was spectacular last night. Aardsma has become the everyday option for Tito and he went 2 perfect innings. Oki and Paps pitched the 8th and 9th each giving up a hit but no runs. David Ortiz was hurt on a swing in the 9th. He was pulled from the game and underwent X-Rays at the ballpark (negative) He is not expected to be in today's lineup.
Sox Win 6-3 BOX SCORE
Watch the celebration of Manny's historic home run. Make sure you wait for the drunk guy to do a somersault on the dugout.
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