Grace in the Hole?

Grace in the Hole?

Not Exactly

Wells Not Happy About Being
Odd Man Out to Start the Season

'''Right now it's too early to really speculate on that. If they still feel the same way after a few more outings, we're definitely going to have to sit down and talk. I don't see myself sitting until the 15th to wait to pitch. I just don't see it at all.'

"Francona said, 'We came to camp respecting his wishes [to be traded]. Things change. And I'm happy they changed. At the same token, I'm not going to take the four pitchers I've talked to . . . '

"He halted mid-sentence, changed direction, and said only, 'Sometimes you have to be a little flexible.'

"Wells, informed of this, said if his earlier wish to be moved closer to a West Coast team will be held against him, 'They can grant that first wish.' -- 3.17.06, Chris Snow, Boston Globe

Is He Just Joking Around? Or Throwing it Out There?

"Wells also revealed that he jokingly lobbied Francona to start Beckett ahead of Schilling Opening Day at Texas.

'''I said, 'Why doesn't the young guy come in and start? Why's it gotta be Curt?' Wells said. 'He goes, 'Well, I've known him longer.' I said, 'Oh, we've got to play that game, huh? The I've-known-you-longer game.' We were just joking around.'" -- 3.17.06, Chris Snow, Boston Globe

The Last Idiot Standing?

"'Am I an idiot at times? You're damn right I am,' Wells said Thursday in an interview with The Courant. 'Do I say stupid things? Absolutely. But at least I'm man enough to apologize when I'm wrong or if I say something out of context, which I did. I shouldn't have called him a piece of [expletive]. I shouldn't have said that.'" -- 3.17.06, Dave Heuschkel, Hartford Courant

Doom and Gloom on the Horizon?

"'But after the bizarre Gorilla Suit offseason, while the organization may be more united and directed than ever before, the Red Sox are one of baseball's most unpredictable teams. Here at spring training, where 2,000 folks show up for the first workouts, there is none of that 'is this our year?' hysteria, no 'bleep the Yankees' passion. It is as if the 2006 theme song is the Holmes Brothers' 'We Meet, We Part, We Remember' -- with essentially only Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Trot Nixon, Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield remaining from the central cast of the team that lost the heartbreaking Game 7 in Yankee Stadium.

"'The 2006 Red Sox could be 95-wins good. They also could be a third-place team that is a lot closer to the Orioles than the Yankees. This is reality. They knew it was coming.'" -- 3.15.06, Peter Gammons, ESPN Insider blog (subscription only)

Uncle Slam: Stunned US KO'd by Mexico in WBC

Eric Wilbur: State of the Nation (and a Gratuitous Bud Slam)
The Edes of March: Wearin' of the Green
Bradford: How Schill is Using His Heart Rate to Get 240 Innings