Mazz Breaks the News: "Varitek will earn $5 million in 2009, with the club holding a $5 million option for 2010. If the Red Sox do not pick up that option, Varitek has the choice of remaining with the club on a $3 million deal. In '10, he can earn another $2 million in incentives based on playing time, beginning at 80 games started."
"The Joe Torre publicity tour continued today, as the Dodgers' highly paid manager continued to draw attention to the Yankees -- and to his new book on his tenure there.." -- 1.27.09, Bill Shaikin, LA Times
Adam Dunn's Not Looking for $100m Anymore And Big Papi's Not Getting Any Smaller, or Younger
1.27.09, Ken Rosenthal, One Year Wonders: "Take Dunn as an example. The Red Sox could sign him for one year as protection against further decline by David Ortiz. Dunn, by putting up big numbers for a high-profile contender, would raise his standing in next winter's free agent class, which features a weaker group of hitters."
Tony Massarotti: "According to a baseball source, the Sox have formally presented an offer to Varitek's agent, Scott Boras, that could appease the catcher's desire for a second guaranteed season. While the precise value or term of the proposal was unclear, the Sox could ensure Varitek a second year by guaranteeing it outright or making it attainable through an option."
(Meir Weinberg / BDD Photo Illustration)
Same Old Story
(BDD Photo Illustration)
Trying to Get a Couple of Obstructed View Grandstand Seats, Not Together, Is Still a Virtual Nightmare
Globe: One Click Away No Worries, There Are Plenty of Overpriced Tickets Available in All the Usual Places
"New in 2009, the Luxury Limo Package provides fans with an opportunity to purchase an entirely worry-free trip to Fenway Park for a Boston Red Sox home game. Brewster Coach will send one of its finest stretch limousines to pick-up 10 of your VIP guests and take them in style to and from Fenway Park..." -- Read all about it on RedSox.com
1.21.09, TampaBay.com Rays blog: "Rocco Baldelli said he decided to take out the ad, which will also appear in tbt* later this week, because he wanted some way to share his feelings about the Tampa Bay area fans. "I just thought it was the right thing to do,'' Baldelli said Wednesday from Rhode Island. "I thought it was appropriate. I wanted everyone to know how I felt. It's tough to talk to every single person that I met down there, but I think it was a good start.''
Brady Breaks Silence and Talks to Faithful New England Fans... By Pitching Magical Arm Cream on a Canadian Radio Station File Under: More Reasons to Keep Matt Cassel Around
It's Called Myo-Med Tom, you gotta say the name if you want it to sell: "I come across a lot of things over the course of my career and I have found something that has been great. I started actually using it a few years ago on my arm. I had some pretty bad tendinitis and it was a product that I used and I really liked. It�s just over the last two years I�ve used it on my ankle before the Super Bowl, I�ve used it on like I said on my elbow, and this year it�s been nice, it�s worked very very well on my knee. It�s just a great pain relieving cream and I�m glad, and hopefully people who hear this understand that if they have those aches and pains that it�s a really special product. Like I said, I�ve been fortunate to find it and I�ll be using it for the rest of my life." -- Tom Brady, pitchman, 1.21.09 -- Listen on The Fan 590 here
Gerry Callahan, 1.21.09: "Ortiz, who turned 33 (officially) in November, vowed to get in top shape this offseason, but there are some skeptics in the Sox front office. Will there be a noticeable difference in his body when he reports to Fort Myers in three weeks? Like Vaughn, Ortiz always has relied on his strength and power, and it�s hard to imagine he�s now running the beach or jumping rope... Well, you can be sure Theo Epstein and Co. wouldn�t mind seeing a little effort from Ortiz, maybe a body fat percentage somewhere between Obama�s and Oprah�s."
He Does Set the Bar... For First-Year Arbitration-Eligible Relief Pitchers Not to Be Left Out: Lopez Signs On for One More Stint in the 'Pen This Just In: Jason Varitek Didn't Know What Arbitration Was
The Wheelin' Dealin' Boston Red Sox Keep Shaking Up the Baseball Landscape
"...If you were to become a fan of the Red Sox, you would have the chance to join a prestigious nation known as Red Sox Nation the largest nation of all fans in professional sports." -- 12.17.08, Fenway ambassador to Timothy... the newest member of Red Sox Nation...
Mazz: Free-agent catcher Jason Varitek confirmed today that he is meeting with Red Sox owner John Henry tonight in Atlanta, but not at the 36-year-old catcher's home.
Dirtdog Millionaire
(BDD Photo Illustration)
Youk's In the Black and His 4-Year Deal Is a Steal for the Sox
Sox Get a First Baseman Whose Wife Likes Shopping on Newbury Street Youk's Deal Included His Having to Model the New Red Sox Traveling Black Leisurewear With 'Hanging Sox' Scally Cap
New Sox Reliever Takashi Saito May Soon Been Wearing Manny's Old No. 24
Nikkan is reporting that Takashi Saito may be getting Manny Ramirez's No. 24. Saito wore No. 44 for the Dodgers last season but that is Jason Bay's number in Boston. Saito's next choice was No. 29, but that just went to John Smoltz. His other request was for No. 24, and "[Red Sox] seemed OK with me taking that number," according to the NikkanSports.com report translated to us by the Globe's Daigo Fujiwara.
Don't Tell Theo!
(BDD / Celebrity Boxing Federation)
But That Big Bat He's Desperately Seeking May Be Available After Jan. 24... No, Not Danny Partridge, the Other Guy
"I'm as determined and I'm as focused as I've ever been. The uniform has changed. The desire won't change... I love their [Red Sox] approach. Their approach is, 'We're going to slow you down and give us the best chance to win a championship. Whenever you're ready, you're ready.' " -- 1.13.09, John Smoltz, No. 7 starter
Because This Is Right In His Wheelhouse: 42-Year-Old Free Agent Returning from Elbow and Shoulder Surgery... Boston Roots
Tom Glavine: �I know it�s going to be fun for him [Smoltz] playing in Boston. I�m envious that he�ll be playing in Boston and I never got to play in Boston.� -- 1.12.09, MurrayChass.com... since when did Glavine ever want anything to do with Boston?
Rice's reaction: �I don�t understand about being overrated, the numbers spoke for themselves, and during that time, you look at the guys that played the game and the numbers they put up. So as far as being overrated, I have no idea. I think what you�re trying to get at is that some of the writers probably said I was arrogant, you know that wasn't true. You want to talk about baseball, I talk about baseball, but I never talked about my teammates. I protected my teammates. I don�t think you should make any excuses, when I felt like as captain of the ballclub, I took a lot of pressure off the guys because some guys could handle pressure, some guys couldn�t handle pressure, and I was the type of guy that I got paid to go out and play baseball...I didn�t get paid to sit there and rah-rah myself, or rah-rah the team. When the team lost I was there, when the team won, I was gone. That�s the way I was. I didn't sit back and give the writers the information about the ballclub they wanted as far as who�s not playing today, what�s wrong with the ballclub, why aren�t there more black players coming to Boston. I didn�t deal with that. You had to deal with the front office. I was just taking care of myself and my teammates.�
1.8.09, John Smoltz, talking about the money: "I was going to withhold comment until the announcement of my signing with a new team, but I now feel the need to clear up any misconceptions and inaccuracies about the contract negotiations between myself and the Atlanta Braves. There were large discrepancies between the offer from the Braves and offers from other teams.��
Peter Gammons on WEEI, 1.7.09: "...five or six days later Cashman went, and that was decided that the Red Sox were the stalking horse and the Red Sox would go to a number and then the Yankees will sign him. And the Yankees did a very good job of saying, 'We're not in it, we're not in it' . . . all along, that's where he was going. Not because his father was a [high school] teammate of Bucky Dent, but he made it very clear watching it yesterday [and wading] through the baloney . . . Teixeira is Scott Boras's ultimate client, and he's very well-programmed . . . The Red Sox didn't know it, and in the end there was nothing they could do about it. He wanted to go to the Yankees, his wife doesn't like Boston -- apparently she doesn't like the stores on Newbury Street or something -- and in the end that's the way it goes."
"Two weeks before Christmas, I talked to [my wife] Leigh about it again, and we kind of decided that, hey, the Yankees are where we want to be. Cash [Brian Cashman] might want to give Leigh a hug, because when I asked her during the process, 'Where should I go, where should I go?,' she'd always say, 'I just want you to be happy.' Finally she said, 'I want you to be a Yankee,' and it was a done deal. Once we got the contract figured out, it was a no-brainer for me." -- 1.6.09, Mark Teixeira, the latest mercenary to join the Yankees
The "Curt�s Pitch
for ALS" program is a joint effort by Curt and Shonda Schilling and The
ALS Association Mass Chapter to strike out Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig�s Disease.
